How to Learn Multiplication Tables

If you ask most students what is is their real problem with Maths, they usually own up to not knowing their times tables. It doesn't really matter the students age or level (Some A level students don't know their tables.)

Now is the best time to learn those tables.

How do I learn the multiplication tables.
There are some wonderful mobile apps that help, but there is really no other choice than learning all the tables from scratch.

Learn your tables in a week.

Stage 1
Chose 1 table to learn
Write out the table

1 x 4 = 4
2 x 4 = 8
3 x 4 = 12

and so on...

Stage 2
Write this table out 5 times
This is getting boring - can you write out the table without looking

Stage 3
Write out the table without looking (and without counting on)

Sucess then Stage 4 otherwise repeat Stage 2

Stage 4
Now here you need someone to help
Get them to ask each of the lines at random
They say for example 4 x 5 =
And you say 20 withing 2 seconds

Stage 5
If you have learnt anther table then have a mixture of those you have learnt.
Continue until you know them all.

Stage 6
Revise daily for a few weeks.

Revising for Maths

Many subjects can be revised by learning the facts as outlined in the previous post.

Maths revision is different.

It doesn't work that way. For A level and GCSE there are certainly some formulae that have to be learnt because they are not on the formula sheet, but for most maths there is only one way.

Do some examples.

Here is a simple plan to Help.

For this you need a Maths book and not necessarily the one you use at school.

Stage 1
Choose a Topic

Stage 2
Read through the example questions and samples. If you can't remember them then do the examples on a sheet of paper. Looking at how it is done.

Stage 3
Do an example - write down the question, close the book and then answer the question

Stage 4
Do all the odd number question in an exercise

Stage 5
Now you understand how to do the questions
And this is the important bit
Each day do one or two of the even numbered questions from the exercise each day.
Now you know how to do the sum, doing one or two each day keeps them fresh in your mind.

Stage 6
Repeat Stage 1-5
Each day you learn ( ok revise) a new topic and each day you practice one or two questions from each of the other topics you have revised.

How to start Revising

How to start Revising.

Revising is not first time learning, although for many it is.

Stage 1
So stage one is to read through your course book. Most students don't have any notes, or notes good enough to revise from. Choose a topic and read through the section you have decided to learn.

Stage 2
Now re-read the section. What are the important things?

Stage 3
Write these down as a series of bullet points. This is your notes to revise.

Stage 4
Look at each of these bullet points in turn. For each do this.
Read the bullet point then read the text in the book about this.

Stage 5
Close the book
Read the bullet point and write down everything you can remember ( writing the stuff down helps it go into memory so don't skip this. It doesn't have to be much.

Stage 6
Check what you wrote and compare it with the book

Stage 7
Repeat 4 5 and 6

Stage 8
Go and find someone
Get them to test you.
It works.