Dyscalculia and Memorizing Multiplication Tables
“How can I help students memorize their multiplication tables?” This is a common question from parents and teachers regarding students with dyscalculia.
What if the best answer is this? “Don’t require them to memorize ALL their multiplication tables.”
This may be a surprising suggestion. Especially when, traditionally, students all over the globe are required to memorize their multiplication tables. It is often viewed as a measuring device for a student’s math competence or intellectual capability.
Focusing on memorization is a mistake for dyscalculic students. Dyscalculia experts consistently emphasize that memorizing multiplication tables is not recommended for dyscalculic learners.
Why is memorization not recommended for those with dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia extremely limits the memory available for numbers-sense and number-calculation. Because of this, demands on the memory must be reduced so that the memory system is less taxed and can be reserved for a few important items – often called “key facts.” Memorizing 144 multiplication facts is too much strain on the dyscalculic’s memory system.
For a dyscalculic learner, memorization of multiplication tables does not automatically correlate to understanding the concept of multiplication.
These realities are not to say that dyscalculia students can’t learn to multiply or that they won’t be able to memorize any multiplication facts. But by adapting the teaching methods into ways that are more effective and lead to real understanding, dyscalculic learners can successfully come to understand the process of multiplication - without rote or memorization. To do this, it is especially important to teach for understanding.
Here are a few insights into effective methods in which dyscalculic students can learning multiplication successfully.
The learning process begins with the student's solid understanding of several previously learned concepts: Doubling, Halving, Step Counting, Components, Bridging, Partitioning, Place Value, and Multiply/Divide by 10. These pre-skills will help the student understand multiplication with more success.
Dyscalculia experts recommend students start with learning the 2x, 5x, and 10x tables. This enables the student to fully understand and retain only a few key facts. Because the strain on the memory is lessened, students can recall them with greater reliability. Students are then guided in how to use these three key multiples, along with reason and logic, to derive the rest of the multiplication facts.
This method enables the student to connect and build from the skills they have previously learned. For example, the 2x table can be experienced as “doubling” a number – an important pre-skill. The 5x table can be experienced as “halving” the 10x table –another important pre-skill for dyscalculics to learn prior to multiplication.
“The best way to learn times tables facts is to use a multi-sensory approach which makes the relationships between the facts explicit as well as providing plenty of opportunity for revision of facts. Teach pupils to understand the concept of multiplication by reasoning. They use step counting skills and their knowledge of number patterns to see multiplication as the structured repetition of a quantity. If pupils know the key facts of 10 x N and 5 x N for each times table, and understand the structure of the multiplication, they can quickly derive other facts.” - Jane Emerson and Patricia Babtie, The Dyscalculia Solution, p. 148
If you would like to learn more about best practices for teaching dyscalculic students, please check out the Audio Guide to Math Education for Dyscalculia and signup for my monthly newsletter for ongoing resources.
How do you know if a potential tutor is adequately trained to help your child with dyscalculia or a math learning disability? Use this Tutor Inquiry to help.
Here are 5 common, and inaccurate, assumptions parents can make about their dyscalculic children.
My oldest daughter is graduating from high school, and our family is in the middle of ceremonies, award nights, and celebrations.
Teaching math class for my dyscalculic daughter was not something I thought possible, especially through the middle school years.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through three important steps in supporting a student with a specific learning disability in math, or dyscalculia.
Brian Butterworth is Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychology at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London, UK, and my favorite dyscalculia researcher, scientist, and author.
Last year, U2’s drummer, Larry Mullen Jr, shared about his recent dyscalculia diagnosis that impacts his playing of music.
Extra time on tests or exams is a common accommodation, but it’s problematic for these reasons.
The president’s recent order to close the Department of Education is a grave decision with tragic impact on students with learning disabilities.
Spring is a great time for parents to plan for summer learning activities and experiences that build number-sense.
Establishing school supports for dyscalculia is critical for students, but parents mistakenly assume the school will know what supports are needed.
Do you ever wonder why your dyscalculic student doesn't like to use a calendar or planner to organize their time?
It’s understandable that parents feel overwhelmed with a new learning disability diagnosis.
As dyscalculia-awareness grows, more adults are discovering the reason for their life-long struggles. They are dyscalculic.
Dyscalculic students become lost in a confusion of numbers, dates, measurements, sequencing.
While in London, I had the honor of meeting Brian Butterworth, professor of Cognitive Neuropsychology and dyscalculia researcher at the University College London.
I traveled for the first time to the U.K. to meet (in-person) some of the dyscalculia experts I have been learning from, following, and connecting with these past several years.
By "foundational number-sense," I mean we go as far back as we can to explore the early ideas of number and quantity.
There is another aspect of driving that is difficult for dyscalculic, which is quick mental estimations and calculations regarding speed, space, and time.
This calendar and planner makes a little more sense to those with dyscalculia. Here is how it works.
Even though she was in sixth grade at this point, she had never understood that there was a ten in every teen number.
If you've been following me long enough, you have heard me talk about the importance of dot patterns for dyscalculics of all ages. Well, what are dot patterns?
We fear our students will forget everything they learned over the school year and won’t be ready for the school year ahead. Let’s simplify our summer learning plan and expectations.
These executive function issues could resemble those related to ADHD. But ADHD was not the cause of her struggles. The reason for her lack of focus, seemingly careless mistakes, and distractibility was that she was dyscalculic.
Driving is one of those every-day tasks that is more complicated and stressful for dyscalculic individuals.