“I wish I could remember what a plus b equals”
Do you find it hard to remember Math facts? If you do then here’s a couple of simple ways that can help you learn how to remember them.
Write Everything Down
One of the best ways of learning Math facts and being able to recall them is to write them down every time you use them. Repetition is the master of learning things, practicing them until you remember how to do them.
So, try it now, write down some of the number facts that you find hard to remember but write them down one at a time. Then cover them up and do them again. Keep doing them until you remember. That will make it easier to recall them the next time you need them.
How to remember your tables
Example:
If you have trouble learning the 7 times tables, write them down and say them as you do them.
eg.
One seven is seven,
Two seven’s are fourteen, and so on. If you can’t remember them, then add seven each time to get the next answer.
Then, cover what you’ve done and do them again.
Then, cover what you’ve written up and then try writing them starting with twelve sevens and working up the page:
eg.
Twelve sevens are eight four,
Eleven sevens are seventy seven, and so on.
Start at the bottom of where you’re going to write them and put the next one above it so you have: one seven is seven, at the top.
If you practice them this way over time you’ll find that you can remember them, and recall them when you need to.
How to remember number facts
The other way you can continually learn number facts and improve your recall of them, is to work out calculations by writing them down. If you have to add, subtract, multiply or divide some numbers to get the answers to questions, then write them down on paper so you can see what you’ve done.
If you do this all the time you’ll find that your work gets done more accurately and a lot quicker than by trying to work out the answers in your head. Remember, practice makes perfect so the more you write things down the more easily you’ll remember them.
If you’re working a lot of things out in your head, you’re doing Maths the hard way. It’s always best to write things down, over time you’ll find that you don’t need to write some things down because you’ve remembered them from writing them so many times.
When I was at school we didn’t have calculators so everything had to be done using pencil/pen and paper. With all the constant working out calculations this way, I got good at doing calculations and remembered a lot of number facts.
If you make a commitment to start writing your calculations down and also learning your tables by writing them down until you know them, then your number facts recall can improve in tests. This means the definite possibility of getting more ‘A’s in Maths 🙂