Multiplication Help

[paelthom]

Okay folks, as always, I need your help with dd. She is in public school and traditional homeschooling is not an option for us, though we "teach" her homework for about 2 hours a night. However, she is really having trouble learning multiplication. First of all she is 9 and in the 4th grade. This has been going on for 2 grades now. I have done everything I can think of (I am not getting much help from the school - they are aggravated that she can't just memorize them like everybody else). I have done flash cards, made charts, gone over them backwards and forwards and she still only knows about 1/2 of them. She knows the easy ones like 1x, 2x, 3x, 5x, but the rest is just iffy. I think some days she seems to know them and then forgets them. She is very smart and tests high in all of the school standardized test, including math. Please think about your own situations with teaching multiplication and give me any advise you have on what works at your house. This is something that I will have to teach at home. Any resourses you can recommend would be so appreciated. They are moving on to division now and we must get this multiplication learned soon. Thanks
paelthom

[QuilterMom]

My ds is just in preschool homeschool so the situation you've described isn't one we've dealt with yet, but it sounds like your dd's learning style is a big factor here. It sure sounds like she is not a visual learner at all (since flash cards aren't working) so you need to find out what her learning style is (is she a physical/tactile/hands on learner, an auditory learner?) and conquer this problem based on that.

I know that's not much help, but hopefully it'll give you a direction to head with this.

[paelthom]

I believe that she is the hands on learner. She loves science because you get to do experiments. She always loves the extra credit projects where you can build or make something. I do not have any ideas for hands on with math. We tried bingo but that was my extent of it. Thanks for your thoughts and good luck teaching your ds. Its great that you can do that for him.

paelthom

[homesteadmamma]

I have to agree with Quiltermom - you need to find out how she learns and its quite obvious she doesn't learn visually.

I don't have a tactile/hands on learner so I'm can't be much help in this area. Cynthia Tobias has a great book out entitled
The Way they Learn that you can probably pick up at the library which might help.

Also have you tried any games with her from the computer. Here is a great site:



http://www.aaamath.com/mul.html

[paelthom]

Thanks CJ. I will be going to the library today and will look for the book. Also will check out the site this evening. I am very much a visual learner so this just blows me away that everyone is not like me. LOL

paelthom

[2cutekids]

Have you tried breaking the bigger numbers down for her? For instance 8x7 is 7x4 plus 7x4 or 28 + 28. This is how I learned multiplication. I hate to admit it but is still how I sometimes multiply the larger numbers(Shhh! don't tell my DD LOL)

[TheCottageRose]

I went to a local teachers store and found ladders.

They are wrap up things that the kids take a string and wrap it around the 'ladder' to do their multiplication table. One ladder per number.

Then on the back is a set pattern for you to see and do a quick check and also to make sure they didn't just wrap it up any old way....You can check it in a glance, which is great for busy moms.

Also, my son used the hand held calculator looking thing where he was presented a problem according to level chosen, then if he got it right there was a little song and dance man on the screen to celebrate, if not, it moved on.

I don't remembe what it was called, but I am sure there are many things out today for learning electronically. Have you tried a math program for the computer for her? Somthing fun?

[paelthom]

Went to Walmart yesterday and found 2 math "games" for the computer. They are put out by School Zone. We played them last night and of course she likes one better than the other. They look like a game and there is fun stuff you can do after you get so many problems right. There is a help chart you can click on when you don't know the answer, etc. She at least seems interested in them. Its snowed here again and she's out of school, so..... it gives her something new to "play" with. I am hoping it helps. Thanks guys for all the input. I am going to look for that ladder thing. We have a teacher store here and I am going there next.

paelthom

[Kimmomo3]

I won't be a big help but I don't know my multiplication much past the 5's, me, parents and teachers tried everything, I still don't know them I add 7 six times if I absolutly have to do it without a calc.

I got A's and B's all through school even in geometry but algebra was also a mystery to me, my only D in high school. So you might want to watch out for that later in her life.

Hope you can help her "get it"