PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT!! EVIDENCE FROM BRAIN BASED STUDY

As  teachers we are constantly presented with students that struggle with their basic math facts. It's very difficult to move onto higher level word problems when student haven't mastered their fundamental addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. CLICK on the link to  the article below that explains what's happening in children's brains when they master these facts.

NEWS ARTICLE


FROM THE ARTICLE:

"If your brain doesn't have to work as hard on simple math, it has more working memory free to process the teacher's brand-new lesson on more complex math.

"The study provides new evidence that this experience with math actually changes the hippocampal patterns, or the connections. They become more stable with skill development," she said. "So learning your addition and multiplication tables and having them in rote memory helps."

Quiz your child in different orders, she advised — nine times three and then 10 times nine — to make sure they really remember and didn't have to think it through.

WHAT'S THE TAKE AWAY HERE??

Kids need to practise their math facts just like any other skill.  We encourage our kids to shoot a 100 pucks, or free throws--it's just as important to drill fundamental math facts.