Times tables key to good maths, inspectors say: Research

Julie Henry, Education Correspondent

13 Nov 2011

A study published by Ofsted, the schools watchdog, says pupils without instant recall of multiplication tables struggle in maths.

It also condemned a modern teaching method which replaces traditional learning with "chunking" numbers as "cumbersome and confusing".

And it said that in schools which teach maths well, pupils tended to use traditional methods to add, subtract, multiply and divide.

Jean Humphrys, Ofsted's education director, said a range of methods could be used to teach times tables but that the teaching must be "rigorous".

"It is really important that children have the tools of arithmetic at their finger tips," she said. "Without that it is like sending a plumber out to do a job without knowing how to use a spanner."

EVERY CHILD MATHEMATICALLY PROFICIENT: TIPS FOR TEACHERS

1. High Expectations for All. Advocate for the establishment of clear standards for what all students should know at each grade level. These can be your guide for holding all students to high expectations. Search out strategies that will help mathematically challenged students meet higher expectations, including mastery of core concepts of Algebra and Geometry.
2.  Algebra and Geometry by Grade Nine. Encourage your school to incorporate core concepts of Algebra and Geometry into the curriculum beginning in the early grades. Virtually every child should master these core concepts by grade nine.
3. Continue Your Professional Development. Become proficient in the mathematics course content at all grade levels taught in your school. Students need teachers who are well prepared in content and math teaching techniques. Middle school teachers also need a solid understanding of primary and secondary level mathematics.
4. Keep Parents Informed. Communicate to parents the specific standards that students are to meet at each grade level. Regularly update parents on their child’s progress.
5. Involve the Business Community. Think of ways the local business community can be helpful to your school. Encourage local business people to visit classes and demonstrate how they use math in their work. Work through your school to encourage employers to participate in school-to-work programs and student career days, and to support teacher professional development.
6. Push for Professional Development. Advocate for high quality training that is consistent with research findings, is ongoing, and relates to the curriculum you teach and on which students will be held accountable. Professional groups can also offer valuable support.
7. Pair Math "Buddies." Start a peer tutoring program. Encourage students who "get it" to help struggling students with group work and homework. Peers can often give explanations that other students understand more easily. At the same time, search for different ways of presenting concepts that students find difficult.
8. Be a "Math Ambassador." Through your interactions with students, parents, and outside of school, you can demystify math and highlight the importance of being mathematically literate. You can help others understand that math includes computation and much more.
9. Use What Works in Your Classroom. Identify what the research shows is already known to work in teaching your subject and use these findings to guide your own instruction.

Tips are reproduced from the Learning First Alliance’s Every Child Mathematically Proficient: An Action plan. Available from: http://www.learningfirst.org/publications/math/teachers/