Sacha wrote:
My 7 year old came home with homework last week where he had to learn his 2
times table. Which was interesting, because although he knew the maths and
the numbers, he had no concept of the whole "no twos are zero, one two is
two, etc" phrasing/chanting of it.
When I was about 4 or 5 I went to a small school where we used to chant
our tables first lesson every morning. I know it's considered the
'wrong way' now (or is it?) but that method certainly made the tables
stick in the mind. To this day, I recall my tables easily.

There was a huge difference between how I was taught in my first primary
school (in merseyside) and the one I went to for 18 months when we moved (in
Cambridge).

At my first school, we never really /did/ times tables. They taught us more
the maths behind it, how to work it out, but there wasn't a real emphasis on
maths at all at that school (other than I got some extra lessons by a keen
teacher, cos I was actually 'good' at maths) - there was a lot of emphasis
on English, specifically on reading and comprehension.

At my second school, when I was 10, there was a lot of stuff that I hadn't
learnt which was assumed knowledge. It was really quite bewildering. I
didn't have the instant recall of times tables, but I knew how to get to
them ... so I couldn't do the instant answer to 'what is 6 times 7' (eg -
and I still can't now! 6, 7, and 8 all fox me!), but I could work out the
answer, and I could expand on that to work out /any/ answer, outside of the
1-10 (or 1-12?) that everyone else could.

So I guess what is /really/ needed is a happy medium, where you can use the
instant recall to apply to the more general method, if that makes sense.
Unfortunately there seems to be only so much one can cram into a little
brain at a time!

(perhaps I should start playing times table tapes to the boys at night
instead of the Gruffalo!)

Martin wrote:
So I guess what is /really/ needed is a happy medium, where you can use the
instant recall to apply to the more general method, if that makes sense.
Unfortunately there seems to be only so much one can cram into a little
brain at a time!
In real life being able to instantly recall a product is better than knowing how
to derive it from scratch.

I totally disagree. If the 'instant recall' is outside of the small list
you have learnt, it's pointless. You need /both/ to be most effective.

(perhaps I should start playing times table tapes to the boys at night
instead of the Gruffalo!)
I learnt mine in the bath.

I remember 'completing the square on a generic quadratic from first
principles' suddenly clicking whilst I was in the dentist chair having a
tooth removed ...

wrote in message
...
Martin wrote:
So I guess what is /really/ needed is a happy medium, where you can use
the
instant recall to apply to the more general method, if that makes sense.
Unfortunately there seems to be only so much one can cram into a little
brain at a time!
In real life being able to instantly recall a product is better than
knowing how
to derive it from scratch.

I totally disagree. If the 'instant recall' is outside of the small list
you have learnt, it's pointless. You need /both/ to be most effective.

(perhaps I should start playing times table tapes to the boys at night
instead of the Gruffalo!)
I learnt mine in the bath.

I remember 'completing the square on a generic quadratic from first
principles' suddenly clicking whilst I was in the dentist chair having a
tooth removed ...


I wonder if there are any Electronic Engineers reading this who remember the
mnemonic for remembering the Resistor Colour Code ;-}}

Of course you do, but are toooooooooooooooo polite to post it here ;-)

Mike


--

....................................
Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive
....................................


Mike

"'Mike'" wrote in
:



wrote in message
...
Martin wrote:
So I guess what is /really/ needed is a happy medium, where you can
use the
instant recall to apply to the more general method, if that makes
sense. Unfortunately there seems to be only so much one can cram
into a little brain at a time!
In real life being able to instantly recall a product is better than
knowing how
to derive it from scratch.

I totally disagree. If the 'instant recall' is outside of the small
list you have learnt, it's pointless. You need /both/ to be most
effective.

(perhaps I should start playing times table tapes to the boys at
night
instead of the Gruffalo!)
I learnt mine in the bath.

I remember 'completing the square on a generic quadratic from first
principles' suddenly clicking whilst I was in the dentist chair
having a tooth removed ...


I wonder if there are any Electronic Engineers reading this who
remember the mnemonic for remembering the Resistor Colour Code ;-}}

Of course you do, but are toooooooooooooooo polite to post it here ;-)

Mike



Bad Boys Ravish Only Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly

Will that do?

"Baz" wrote in message
...
"'Mike'" wrote in
:



wrote in message
...
Martin wrote:
So I guess what is /really/ needed is a happy medium, where you can
use the
instant recall to apply to the more general method, if that makes
sense. Unfortunately there seems to be only so much one can cram
into a little brain at a time!
In real life being able to instantly recall a product is better than
knowing how
to derive it from scratch.

I totally disagree. If the 'instant recall' is outside of the small
list you have learnt, it's pointless. You need /both/ to be most
effective.

(perhaps I should start playing times table tapes to the boys at
night
instead of the Gruffalo!)
I learnt mine in the bath.

I remember 'completing the square on a generic quadratic from first
principles' suddenly clicking whilst I was in the dentist chair
having a tooth removed ...


I wonder if there are any Electronic Engineers reading this who
remember the mnemonic for remembering the Resistor Colour Code ;-}}

Of course you do, but are toooooooooooooooo polite to post it here ;-)

Mike



Bad Boys Ravish Only Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly

Will that do?

:-))

You are SOOOOOOOOOO polite ;-)

Close :-)

Mike

"'Mike'" wrote in
:




Bad Boys Ravish Only Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly

Will that do?

:-))

You are SOOOOOOOOOO polite ;-)

Close :-)

Mike




Why am I soooooo polite

You asked and I have given.

Baz

"Baz" wrote in message
...
"'Mike'" wrote in
:




Bad Boys Ravish Only Young Girls But Violet Gives Willingly

Will that do?

:-))

You are SOOOOOOOOOO polite ;-)

Close :-)

Mike




Why am I soooooo polite

You asked and I have given.

Baz

52 years ago yesterday, I started my Radio/Radar Training when I went into
the Royal Navy and the mnemonic we learnt, was not quite so polite as yours
;-) and I have heard it time and time again from Radio/Radar Mechs and
Telephone Engineers.

email me if you want the version I know ;-)

Mike


--

....................................
Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive
....................................

"'Mike'" wrote in message
...

I wonder if there are any Electronic Engineers reading this who remember
the mnemonic for remembering the Resistor Colour Code ;-}}


Mike

Or indeed the colours of the rainbow :-)

Bill

"Bill Grey" wrote in
:


"'Mike'" wrote in message
...

I wonder if there are any Electronic Engineers reading this who
remember the mnemonic for remembering the Resistor Colour Code ;-}}


Mike

Or indeed the colours of the rainbow :-)

Bill




Does putting the word "indeed" in every answer mean something?
Do you actually know what it means?

Baz

"Baz" wrote in message
...
"Bill Grey" wrote in
:


"'Mike'" wrote in message
...

I wonder if there are any Electronic Engineers reading this who
remember the mnemonic for remembering the Resistor Colour Code ;-}}


Mike

Or indeed the colours of the rainbow :-)

Bill




Does putting the word "indeed" in every answer mean something?
Do you actually know what it means?

Baz

A bit picky aren't you ?

Bill

"Baz" wrote in message
...
"Bill Grey" wrote in
:


"'Mike'" wrote in message
...

I wonder if there are any Electronic Engineers reading this who
remember the mnemonic for remembering the Resistor Colour Code ;-}}


Mike

Or indeed the colours of the rainbow :-)

Bill




Does putting the word "indeed" in every answer mean something?
Do you actually know what it means?

Baz

Just to things into perspective, I've replied 14 times in this thread and
used the word indeed in only two of those replies, so what's your point ?

Please crawl back under your stone.

Bill

wrote in
:


I remember 'completing the square on a generic quadratic from first
principles' suddenly clicking whilst I was in the dentist chair having
a tooth removed ...


No doubt it is completed now?
I wonder if you would like to share your findings with us.

Baz

Baz wrote:
I remember 'completing the square on a generic quadratic from first
principles' suddenly clicking whilst I was in the dentist chair having
a tooth removed ...
No doubt it is completed now?
I wonder if you would like to share your findings with us.

I'd rather not have another tooth pulled out so I can re-remember it!

wrote in message
...
Baz wrote:
I remember 'completing the square on a generic quadratic from first
principles' suddenly clicking whilst I was in the dentist chair having
a tooth removed ...
No doubt it is completed now?
I wonder if you would like to share your findings with us.

I'd rather not have another tooth pulled out so I can re-remember it!


:-))

I don't remember having a tooth pulled :-) I had the lot out in one go under
full aesthetic in hospital years and years and years ago :-))

Mike ;-0



--

....................................
Don't take life too seriously, you'll never get out alive
....................................

Martin wrote:
No doubt it is completed now?
I wonder if you would like to share your findings with us.
I'd rather not have another tooth pulled out so I can re-remember it!
How do you do long multiplication and division, with or without having a wisdom
tooth pulled? I am just trying to understand. :-)

With a pencil and paper, mostly.