teaching time tables
How well do your Dyslexic students know their time tables??
As you are well aware, there are some Dyslexic students whose strength is maths, however there are those who find learning, time tables in particular, a chore. Taking into consideration the not so strong short term and working memory, when they reach grade 4and start doing long multiplication and division, and there is more than one operation to complete, they get confused and spend a lot of their test time figuring out their tables. This result’s in an incomplete or very rushed test paper, bringing down their self-esteem and self-confidence.
Therefore let me introduce to you: TIMES TABLES MADE EASY
My motto for maths has always been “write it out to work it out” and the times tables are no different. You can ask anyone, dyslexic or not, what their 1 times table, 5 times table and 10 times tables are, and they can recite them automatically, even if they use their fingers for the 5 times tables, and because of this, it forms the outline of the times tables method.
So lets take the 6 times table for example, (please note that this method can be used for all tables) and you have given them a long division sum, on a scrap piece of paper or white board, we write the answer to 1 x 6 at the top of the page, the answer to 5 x 6 in the middle of the page and 10 x 6 at the bottom of the page, so it will look like this:
6
30
60
However you must ensure that you leave around 5 lines between each number, and then, you fill in the blanks by adding or subtracting 6, for example 60 – 6 = 54, 30 + 6 = 36 and so on. From experience some students are not as confident in subtraction and usually opted for addition, and as everyone learns differently, so let them find the way in which they are most comfortable with.
As they move up into the higher grades, you do tend not to use many times tables from 1 to 5, and therefore, you can start with 5 x 6 instead of 1 x 6, an even shorter way to work out what 9 x 6 equals.
An all-important tip: Always give a dyslexic student the option of working on squared paper or lined paper, it does make a difference when they come to add up the numbers on a long multiplication sum, where their numbers are over lapping and the end result is the incorrect answer as they have added a 3 twice for example. During tests, give them the freedom to use as much space as necessary, and don’t expect them to use just 2 or 3 lines that you provide on the answer sheet.