Method for learning times tables- "Nine Lines" from Math Made Real

[Anonymous]

Has anyone ever heard of this math curriculum called "Math Made Real"? Have you used this "nine Lines" method of memorizing multiplication/division facts?

I was looking around online and stumbled upon the name of the method and some testimonials. (I have tried a LOT of different methods to help my daughter who struggles and continues to struggle with automaticity with her times facts.)

I couldn't figure out what the method was (apparently the guy who invented it runs teacher training programs out in California) until I found a demonstration of it online here: The man demonstrating the method is teaching parents and teachers, so he is helping them learn their "13s" times tables because most adults haven't learned that one.

Overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kJRyMC5HGs

Imagining the 13x part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eav7VVNT12M

Imaging the 13X part II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7N2aibTWyw

I spent about 1 hour total watching these videos and doing the imaging activities as described last week and mastered all the 13s facts to 13x9 almost perfectly. And I've retained it a week later. I sat with my daughter today and showed her the method and she managed to memorize about half the 13 facts with little effort... she's interested in trying this method for other, more useful facts.

I think this method makes a lot of sense from a cognitive science perspective. Use visual imagery (location of the numbers on the grid) instead of memorizing all the digits in a times fact. (4x13=52, 5x13=65) or trying to memorize cute mnemonics etc. It seems to hold a lot of promise for my daughter. I had never heard of it before, and wonder if anyone else has? Has anyone used it, and if so, do kids do well memorizing just one set of facts (say the 8x) but then have problems adding the 7x facts?

[Anonymous]

I think this is a great way to learn times facts.

I have worked in a public elementary school as a paraprofessional for 15+ years and I have never seen a teacher actually teach the students the times tables, in this way or any other way.

I have worked in classes up through fifth grade.

What I have seen is an introduction of the times tables, worksheets with times problems on them, maybe some flashcards to cut out and bring home, but I have never witnessed a teacher actually drilling the kids on the times tables as this guy did in the video.

I think practicing the times tables out loud in class would be a great way to learn them for all kids, and would be especially effective for slower learners.

My experience has been that the teachers tell the kids to practice them at home until they learn them. Some do this, many don't.

I work in one of the top rated public schools in the whole DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I have worked in a public elementary school as a paraprofessional for 15+ years and I have never seen a teacher actually teach the students the times tables, in this way or any other way.

I have worked in classes up through fifth grade.

What I have seen is an introduction of the times tables, worksheets with times problems on them, maybe some flashcards to cut out and bring home, but I have never witnessed a teacher actually drilling the kids on the times tables as this guy did in the video.

OP here. Mastering the times tables was definitely something we were supposed to do at home, but I just didn't know how to help my daughter. (My older child had no problem picking it up on his own). I've searched and searched but just using flashcards or playing games on line didn't help much. We've tried a TON of different resources.

This nine line method seems really sound to me. I wish I had known about it earlier.

[Anonymous]

OP, thanks for posting this. I'll look forward to watching the videos.

A web site/app that helps with automaticity -- but one that I think is best reserved until a child understands what multiplication truly is -- is xtramath.

[Anonymous]

I just watched the videos, and that was amazing!!! I definitely plan on teaching myself this method so I can use it for my DC when the time is right.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just watched the videos, and that was amazing!!! I definitely plan on teaching myself this method so I can use it for my DC when the time is right.

OP again. I've been using this method in my classroom now. It's similar to teaching kids, say, their 3s facts by skip counting.... Lots of times I used to just have kids skip count 3...6..9...12...15....18 etc or sing a song where they skip counted. SO now we do the exact same thing BUT I arrange the products in the 9 lines format to give them a little more help remembering where 3x7 is versus 3x4. Otherwise they would have had to skip count using their fingers to figure out 3X7. It really is helping. I wish the training weren't so expensive and only offered in CA because I'd like to learn more.

[Anonymous]

thanks for this!

[Anonymous]

You guys found this helpful? I don't understand the need of this. If you know the times table up to nine, 13*7 will simply be 70+21=91. Why would you remember this by rote? In multi-digits multiplication, you never need to know anything more than the single digits multiplication table. This approach is totally redundant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys found this helpful? I don't understand the need of this. If you know the times table up to nine, 13*7 will simply be 70+21=91. Why would you remember this by rote? In multi-digits multiplication, you never need to know anything more than the single digits multiplication table. This approach is totally redundant.

I think it's probably more useful for memorizing the regular times table (1-9). But I also don't understand. It's just another way to memorize the times tables, isn't it? So if a child is having trouble with that, then this might be a good idea. But if a child is learning the times tables the ordinary way, then this doesn't seem necessary.

Also, I didn't really memorize the times tables in 3rd grade. But over the years, I eventually had them down cold. I successfully got a 5 in BC Calc and majored in STEM. So all is not lost if it takes a child a very long time to memorize the times tables.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys found this helpful? I don't understand the need of this. If you know the times table up to nine, 13*7 will simply be 70+21=91. Why would you remember this by rote? In multi-digits multiplication, you never need to know anything more than the single digits multiplication table. This approach is totally redundant.

No, the x13 example was just a way to demonstrate to adults (who presumably already have learned their basic facts) how this method works. That is, before watching the video I did not have my x13 facts memorized. Sure, I could work it out as above through mental math. But after watching the video I know automatically what 13x7 is, so I can believe that kids could use it for easier products.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I think it's probably more useful for memorizing the regular times table (1-9). But I also don't understand. It's just another way to memorize the times tables, isn't it? So if a child is having trouble with that, then this might be a good idea. But if a child is learning the times tables the ordinary way, then this doesn't seem necessary.

I see it as a more efficient way to learn the times tables. If a child has no problem learning the times tables, then hey great, that's fantastic. But kids who have a lot of trouble will do better the more efficient you can make the process.

I have seen teachers teach kids their times facts by teaching them to skip count, for example. If you don't automatically know that 7x5 = 35, just skip count by 5s 7 times (using your fingers to keep track) and you land on 35....

If you spent some time teaching the 9 lines method, you would have kids assign the 7x place to a certain spot in that 9 frame (the top right space) and they would "see" the 35 in that spot. They don't need to use mental energy counting by 5s to 7 and don't need to keep track of how many times they have counted -- it should be right there in their visual memory "banks" so to speak.

If you haven't had the experience of teaching kids who have trouble learning their times facts, you might not understand why this method would be useful though.

[Anonymous]

This is how I learnt my multiplication tables in another country. Not the exact 9 line method, but writing on the blackboard, reciting it multiple times (9 fives are 45, 9 sixes are 54, 9 sevens are 63, 9 eights are 72...), flashcards and practise. My DH who is an engineer knows his fraction tables to this day that he learnt in 3rd grade. I learned the multiplication tables till 15.

Somehow, in the US they have skipped the drilling part and moved on to the flashcards and multiplication facts.

I think it is important for students to know multiplication table however they learn it. There are many methods available and many tools. However, in all these methods the common factor is practise and effort. The schools do not seem to have the patience to go that route. It is astounding to me how many students start lagging behind in Maths once they come to 3rd grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is how I learnt my multiplication tables in another country. Not the exact 9 line method, but writing on the blackboard, reciting it multiple times (9 fives are 45, 9 sixes are 54, 9 sevens are 63, 9 eights are 72...), flashcards and practise. My DH who is an engineer knows his fraction tables to this day that he learnt in 3rd grade. I learned the multiplication tables till 15.

Somehow, in the US they have skipped the drilling part and moved on to the flashcards and multiplication facts.

I think it is important for students to know multiplication table however they learn it. There are many methods available and many tools. However, in all these methods the common factor is practise and effort. The schools do not seem to have the patience to go that route. It is astounding to me how many students start lagging behind in Maths once they come to 3rd grade.

Your country's method is similar to the Fact Family method I learned in the DOD schools almost 50 years ago. You write as you say it:
1 x 0 = 0 0 x 1 = 0
1 x 1 = 1 1 x 1 = 1
1 x 2 = 2 2 x 1 = 2
etc.
We learned a new fact family each week, starting with the 1s and going up to the 12s. It was as regular as clockwork and we had a quiz each Friday right after the Spelling Test. Every night my mom sat me down and I wrote it out. Took about 5 minutes. Worked like a charm.

[Anonymous]

I do feel sometimes the kids never see facts family together. Flash cards are good for checking and practicing. But the kids need to see the table. They will realize there are only 45 of them. 1 and 2 and 5 are thrown aways. 3 and 4 are probably easy as well. After these, we are only talking about 10 more facts. If I have to think of them randomly at second grade, I wouldn't like them either.

There is really no need to remember anything more than 9. I can tell you anything you may have remembered equally fast, never having memorized them. One reason is when you do multiplication, you do it digit by digit. The only time it helps you is doing two digits multiplication.

[Anonymous]

Schoolhouse Rock videos for teh win!