An unpopular take but I am struggling to justify giving passing grades to HS juniors who don’t know their basic times tables. What does #mtbos think of requiring timed tests on times tables at the high school level? And any suggestions for teaching times tables to 16 y/os? Lol

@mckeemath Math is deeper than memorization. As someone with dyscalculia, I passed advanced stats and calculus while still struggling with my times tables. To this day, I use math in deep and meaningful ways and I can use supports (spreadsheets, calculators) while going methodically.

@mckeemath I totally understand this struggle! But I would have a hard time punishing them for not knowing them at this point. When I had students struggling with this, I actually printed out a multiplication table for students to reference (especially with factoring).

@mckeemath Is knowing multiplication tables part of the standards of grade 11? If yes, you should document they have not met this standard. In MA, that is a grade 3 standard so I would personally not require it. As for helping them, mathigon has a great tool.mathigon.org/multiply

@mckeemath Oh! You might like this session I’m leading next month

Make Math Moments @MakeMathMoments

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@mckeemath Oh! You might like this session I’m leading next month

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@mckeemath I would have failed your class and I am a teacher and finishing a doctorate. Have them tested and hand them a calculator. There are other strengths in the world than memorizing easily accessible info. 😁

@mckeemath Is times tables a grade level content standard for you? If not, move on. At least let them make a times table chart and use that. You'll be less frustrated and they'll have more opportunities to learn them.

@mckeemath Why not give them a multiplication chart ? They will start to notice patterns and their fluency will likely improve.

@mckeemath Not sure why'd we'd teach times tables to 16 y/os. Give them a calculator/computer and do stuff that's interesting and engaging to them.

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@mckeemath Give them a cheat sheet. If they haven’t memorized them by now there is an issue. The most important thing is to have a strategy to find the answer not to have committed them to memory.

@mckeemath No. Absolutely not. I've taught advanced math at the graduate level. Please do not use speed tests on rote memorization. You are NOT assessing math skills with these tests. You are only testing memorization, and a calculator is a perfectly reasonable accommodation.

@mckeemath I like Greg Tang’s multiplication fact pages for practicing fluency while ensuring they understand concepts. My unpopular opinion is that after you build conceptual understanding, timed practice doesn’t have to be anxiety inducing. 🤷‍♀️

@mckeemath I have my masters in math. I can’t memorize the multiplication chart. I find patterns in numbers and use the distributive property

@mckeemath Times tables exist. Calculators exist. Can they complete the course’s math with these perfectly acceptable supports?

@mckeemath Multiplication instruction begins in K. Ss count by 10s. G1, skip count by 2, 5, 10 using number lines and 100s chart. G3, review G2 plus 3, 4, 6 using 100s chart, arrays, number lines and fact families. G4 review g2, g3 plus 7, 8, 9 using all of the above and area models.

@mckeemath The stress involved with mem your times tables becomes focus and ss hate math, don't learn the important stuff. Show them the patterns, give them a calculator and move on. If a student can't read b/c of an LD do we force them to read or do we give them software to read for them?

@mckeemath Your educational experience is not theirs, S should not be penalized because “they should know this just like I know this.” Teens of today did not learn math by rote memorization or timed tests. I always thought PD to see how your district teaches math in K-5 would be 👀 opening.

@mckeemath Why timed tests? What objective does that meet?

@mckeemath Not knowing times tables is a huge disadvantage to students in higher mathematics to think flexibly and to consider different representations. Timed tests? No, but explorations of conceptual understanding. 3 x 6 how can represent that in Area, Array, number line, etc.

@mckeemath Please ask the 16 year olds what they DO know. My dad has dyslexia and I remember him teaching me a few downright brilliant ways to draw out the Pythagorean theorem. Your kids might have some amazing ways of remembering things that you don't know about!

@mckeemath I believe knowing the times table is like being a good speller. It’s nice but not necessary. A lot of kids believe they are “bad” at math because they don’t know the times table quickly when young. When I see a kid hiding his hands while multiplying, they had a bad experience.

@mckeemath Timed tests are never the answer to anything. The kids who are good at them will remain good. Those that require time to think won't improve all that much and might just quit math feeling they are inadequate.

@mckeemath Do they just not have them memorized or do they not know how to do the multiplication? Because if they know how to do the work and just need a little longer then I don’t see the issue.

@mckeemath At 16, if a student doesn’t yet know their facts, you can be sure you aren’t the first teacher that noticed. Its an impairment. Go beyond that. If your math classes every year consisted of basic facts, you would hate it, be bored and never see how it relates to anything else.

@mckeemath Could u use math games? prime climb might b a good one. there r also quite a few card games that would help them with their times tables. multiplication speed for example.

@mckeemath It’s a core life skill, so you’re doing them a favor. There’s a plethora of resources on the internet, in both desktop and mobile formats.

@mckeemath I disagree with taking a punitive position on this. Any evaluation (summative grade) should be based on achievement of grade-specific curriculum expectations. Mastery of tables should still be encouraged: flash cards at home, games in the car, etc, are some pathways. #iteachmath

@mckeemath Nope. I'm definitely strongly in the never force timed tests for times tables camp. I remember doing some of this in elementary school (set up as a game) and I didn't hate it (because I did well. But I think all it does is make kids feel bad. Calculators for everything!

@mckeemath I let my 4th graders use a multiplication chart for double digit mult and long division problems which are our standards. However we practice memorizing facts often. We like the Reflex math program to track mult fluency.

@mckeemath Is memorizing something you can do w/ your phone calc really that important? I teach physics & I don’t get after my kids if they don’t know math; I get after them when they stare blankly at me while they hold a tool in their hand. Can they access info?

@mckeemath Since schools stopped teaching the tables to memorize - just give them a calculator

@mckeemath Make it fun

@mckeemath Timed tests are WHY high schoolers don’t know these in the first place. Idk why we teach kids math like someone’s going to a hold a gun to their heads and make them multiply things. Instead, we should be showing them all the exciting reasons to learn these basic skills.

@mckeemath They aren’t taught the times tables so it’s penalizing them for something they haven’t been taught. My kids used the app Xtra Math for fluency in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division…it really helped.

@mckeemath mathigon.org/multiply