A-Level Project Research

[travellotty]

I am a computer science A-Level Student, looking to do some research for my programming project. Do you have a child that has not yet started school, and are you teaching them their times' tables? If so, how are you teaching them and what are the problems with this system?

@DelphiniumBlue Thanks! Obviously I think he’s a genius

@travellotty times tables comes much later than preschool.

What have your school/college given you as guidelines for your project to be about? Maybe we can help you find a topic within that that has a wealth of information if it is about children.

Ds did A level computer science but they all had to do a computer game.

How has she managed to get to year 10 not knowing her tables?

I'm 55 I'm doing an OU maths degree, I don't know my times tables.

OP

1. have you got permission from MN to post this here?

2. What has preschool times tables got to do with your project?

Ds did A level computer science but they all had to do a computer game.

I did A Level CS in the 1980s and am a teacher of CS

DD's primary school was excellent at making the children learn their times tables. They had tables tests all the time.

Her year 5 teacher said that they are a basic building block of maths. Are some schools failing the children by not making them learn their tables?

@RampantIvy well, she kept getting older and still didn’t know them. It’s a memory problem rather than a schooling problem.
@TotorosCatBus good on your DD! I think we learn from this that there is a huge difference between basic numeracy and mathematics.

Her year 5 teacher said that they are a basic building block of maths.

I disagree, they are a test of memory and don't show understanding.

It's like people who fly on the same airline frequently and they learn the safety announcement word for word even when it's in a language they don't understand.

My mum was rubbish at maths but knew all her tables. She went to primary with one class and one teacher and tables were recited every day.

The purpose of learning times tables is to reduce cognitive load when performing complex calculations. The working memory can only hold so much. Times tables are a shortcut that removes the need to hold yet another calculation in short-term memory.

DH is a secondary maths teacher who studied pure mathematics at a Russell Grouo uni. He thinks times tables are extremely useful and makes sure all his pupils can use them.

Of course you can study maths to a high level without knowing them, just like you can study English to a high level without being able to spell. But it’s hardly ideal and will make things unnecessarily cumbersome.

Times tables are a shortcut that removes the need to hold yet another calculation in short-term memory.

It doesn't help me, even the ones I know I still have to check because the peculiar way my mind works means I have to check it.

Just thinking about it, I can accept binary conversions without working them out. But I'm quite a visual person so I can 'see' the binary if that makes sense.