The Times Tables

I alluded to my education in the previous post. While I was perfectly happy with the English language teaching I received, my feelings towards the mathematics teaching is entirely negative.

I failed my eleven plus at maths. You might assume – correctly – that maths is not my strong point. I struggled from the off – whereas language and self-expression were never a problem. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. However, as this piece in the Times points out, maths – and the times tables – are important, so weakness it may be, I still need to have a grasp of it.

When I was in primary school, tables were learned by rote. We repeated ad nauseum “two times two equals four” and so on. In order to move onto the next table, we had to recite the current one in front of the class. I found the whole thing terrifying – to the point where I dreaded maths lessons. I faltered through my two times table and failed, utterly and completely, to get through my three times. The teacher eventually gave up on me. At the time, I was much relieved. However, I subsequently lacked the foundations for basic maths and struggled at every step thereafter.

As an adult, I realised that people learn in different ways. A colleague who was an erstwhile school teacher pointed out to me why I simply cannot learn by rote. I need to be able to visualise and see practical applications before a concept takes root. Much, I suspect, like Penny Topsom:

“I had a fear of maths, a real problem with it,” says Penny. “So when I had to help my sons with their tables, and one of them pointed out that the list of tables I’d produced didn’t look like a ‘table.’. I decided to change the way they were written and come up with my own version.”

Penny’s grid produced patterns to the tables that she didn’t realise existed before. Suddenly maths began to make sense.

For me, it started to make sense when my father talked to me about building roofs. More so when I worked in a bar during my college years. Mental arithmetic – and times tables – are pretty essential when totting up bar orders.

She has now written a book about her method, called “Multiplication rules” and she adds: “whether a child should be answer them instantaneously, with a teacher and an entire class staring at them, I’m not sure. Most of us when put under pressure, panic and go completely blank  and this is where I think most peoples’ dread of times tables comes from. I’m sure it was this that made me few like a complete ‘maths numptie’ never once being able to answer these question!”

Been there, done that, understand completely. My maths teacher when I was in the second year of my junior school (year 5 these days) has much to answer for. Times tables are important; they are the building blocks upon which maths is built. It would have helped me if they were taught intelligently to those of us who simply do not absorb information by rote.