s/o - Were you taught to memorize math facts?

[Brenda in FL]

I was in elementary school in the early 70s. We had to memorize multiplication facts but there was no emphasis on addition and subtraction facts. In fact, when we started Saxon some 6 years ago - the whole process of learning the addition facts was brand new to me. The only thing I remember about the introduction of learning addition and subtraction was using a number line.

 

So, I'm curious - if you were in elementary school in the early 70s did you memorize addition and subtraction math facts or were you only taught how to add and subtract without the requirement to memorize.

 

BTW - I totally see the benefit to memorizing them now and learning all the strategies, and I wish I had been taught them - some of the relationships are very cool!

[ReneeK]

:lurk5:

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

Well, yes and no. We were expected to learn them, but I did not. I got tired of the process pretty quickly, and just figured out tricks.

As for multiplication facts, I was sick part of the year, and missed those too.

 

I have an engineering degree, and did courses in Math at the Masters level (I never did get my Masters as I was 'sucked' into the working world pretty quickly. I worked as a computer engineer in 3D graphics. Very math intensive.

 

My math facts or lack thereof never hindered me.

[Dinsfamily]

My memory of that period is a little sketchy, but...

 

I went to elementary school in the 80's and do remember a lot of timed multiplication tests. We started those in 3rd grade. I don't remember anything about addition or subtraction math facts. Actually, I don't remember doing much math at all in 1st or 2nd grade. I remember a whole lot of reading and comprehension and learning cursive in 2nd grade. I remember plenty of spelling tests in 1st grade, but no math (we had it...I just can't remember what we did). Interesting.

[MeganW]

I was born in 71, so I was more like mid to late 70s, but yes, we definitely had to memorize them. I remember being so stressed out over timed multiplication fact quizes.

[mrs.m]

In 1981 I remember sitting in a school desk in 1st grade working as fast as I could to finish up for a timed test. I was so mad that I wasn't fast enough! I don't remember much about 2nd grade math.

[LizzyBee]

So, I'm curious - if you were in elementary school in the early 70s did you memorize addition and subtraction math facts or were you only taught how to add and subtract without the requirement to memorize.

 

 

 

Yes.

[believe in miracles]

I was schooling in the 80's. I was taught to count on my fingers! Teaching my kids to memorize their addition and subtraction... so much easier!

I obviously memorized my multiplication facts. Pretty rusty at them now!!

[WeeBeaks]

I was elementary in the later 70s and early 80s - we did multiplication memorization but not addition/subtraction. And past that stage we did do a LOT of memorization of course of the rules into algebra, geometry and so forth.

[LoveBaby]

I remember timed multiplication drills, but have no recollection of addition/subtraction facts. I suppose that like reading, I learned it at some point, but it just became a part of me and I don't remember the process at all!

[Cindy in NY]

Well, I was in first grade in '69/'70 and we didn't memorize addition or subtraction. "Memorizing your math facts" meant memorizing the multiplication tables.

[Karen in CO]

I remember timed multiplication drills, but have no recollection of addition/subtraction facts. I suppose that like reading, I learned it at some point, but it just became a part of me and I don't remember the process at all!

 

:iagree: I am certain that I didn't start doing math in third grade, but I have no memory of elementary math before timed multiplication drills. I also remember my sister having trouble with long division, but I don't every remember doing it. The only math I remember is multiplication drills and then geometry in high school followed by Calculus in college. :D

[NYC]

Yes, I had to memorize addition facts, and multiplication tables in 2nd grade.

[duckens]

I was born in 1970. And I have always loved math.

 

I don't remember specific tests in elementary school for math facts beyond the unit tests we took every 2-4 weeks that tested what we covered in the prior weeks. I don't know what other kids did, but I simply memorized the math facts because that was just what one did.

 

When we got to middle school, we had Mr. Craun for 6th grade math. He taught the traditional math out of a textbook, and that was fine. Also, every Friday, he gave us a standard one page test of math facts. One week, it was addition, the next subtraction, then multiplication, then division. For the first cycle, we had five minutes to complete the page; for the second cycle, we had 4.5 minutes to complete it; for the third, 4 minutes; etc, until we only had 3 minutes to complete the page.

 

I believe these goals helped me to become exceptionally good at math facts......which gave me a good basis for the higher math thinking (through Calc 3).

 

THANK YOU, MR. CRAUN!!!

 

In retrospect, this level of fact proficiency was probably a way for Mr. Craun to target students who had not yet learned their facts...so the issue could be corrected before they moved on in math and so their math mistakes didn't cause unnecessary wrong answers in his class of sixth grade math topics.

 

Also, a decade later, my cousin had Mr. Craun for math, but hated math and was failing. When I investigated the situation, Mr. Craun had been forbidden by the new principal from teaching the way he had for years. He was given a new textbook with a new style/theory of math, and only 5-8 story problems in each lesson rather than the traditional 20-30 facts on a page. Who can learn in that situation?

 

Math facts for math are like phonics for reading.

[skueppers]

We were expected to memorize the multiplication facts, but I don't remember any emphasis on the addition and subtraction facts. I certainly DID memorize the addition and subtraction facts, but just through repeated use. I entered first grade in 1975.

 

I never did memorize the multiplication facts, despite years of effort. I am abysmally bad at rote memorization; I was also terrible at memorizing the 50 state capitals and important historical dates.

 

Honestly, the only time it ever harmed me not to know the multiplication facts was during timed math tests in elementary school. My sixth-grade math teacher didn't figure out until the achievement tests at the END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR that I was good at math; I think he never noticed that although I got lousy scores on the timed portion of the math tests, I got perfect scores on the word problems that were at the end of the same tests. It certainly did not negatively impact my study of more advanced math, such as algebra and calculus, except insofar as it had left a sour taste in my mouth about the entire subject of mathematics. Oh, and I scored very well (~95th percentile) on both the SAT and GRE (general) math sections.

 

I think I would have benefited greatly if I had not been subjected to so many years of math that mainly emphasized how quickly you could do the work. Math is so much more than that.

[Mom22ns]

We didn't have to memorize anything before multiplication.

 

However, my mom thought that everyone should memorize them and got me to play dominoes with her and always made me be the scorekeeper until I had them down. I didn't know until years later that her ulterior motive was to get me to memorize math facts!

[Chris in VA]

We had to memorize them. It was a big deal to have races/"math bees" with other classes. I loved memorizing them. This was in the early 70's.

[ncmomo3]

Me: Had to know them. I went to schools that used Abeka in elementary. They were hardcore on those math facts.

Dh: never had to memorize, but is very strong in math-has a MS in atmos. sci.

He is slow to give answers to mult. tables and he was not taught long division in the traditional way. I can't even explain how he does it.

[NoPlaceLikeHome]

In the 1960's I remember learning the facts and did have all of the facts including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division mastered by the end of 3rd grade in 1969;)

[Tam101]

I guess I would have to say yes. I remember timed tests for both adding and multiplying. I also remember my step mother buying me flashcards and a push button board to help me learn them, neither of which helped. She wouldn't have done that out of good will, but most likely because a teacher complained I didn't know them. So, basically no one was going to help me learn them, but I was expected to learn them.

[~Kirsten~]

Nope, like you, I only had to memorize multiplication facts. While I'm at it, no one truly explained what multiplication was doing, which made the memorization process incredibly painful for me. I learned tricks to addition and subtraction, but not until after college, which means I did a lot of counting on my fingers. I'm thrilled to be working on these addition and subtraction facts with my daughter right now, as well as exploring the relationships between numbers and the tricks, all at once. It's awesome stuff!

 

Oh, and I started K in '79. :001_smile:

[FO4UR]

I went to elementary school in the 80's and I remember taking timed tests and playing games in class to memorize addition/subtraction/multiplication/division facts.

[kalanamak]

My only memory was timed tests on all the facts in 5th grade. You kept taking them and taking them until you go to a certain speed with no errors. This would have been in the late 60's.

[Paintedlady]

Yes, I remember memorizing both add/sub facts & mult facts.

[shehmeth]

I was born mid 70's so I did elementary in the 80's - we did not have to memorize Subtraction or Addition fact, just know how to do it...

 

NOW the Multiplication Facts we DID have to memorize those..

 

Kate

[peacefully]

I remember quite a few addition and subtraction drills, but not the requirement to memorize math fact families the way that many math programs seem to do now.

 

I definitely remember memorizing multiplication and division. :001_huh: Those flashcards haunt me to this day.

[nmoira]

We had to learn multiplication facts. It was assumed we'd pick up addition and subtraction facts through practice.

 

Edited to add: This was the early to mid-70's.

Edited January 25, 2010 by nmoira

[gandpsmommy]

I went to school in the 80's, but yes, we did memorize addition and subtraction facts. I remember using flash cards to do so and playing a game called "Around The World" to practice them. I don't think we ever learned some of the great thinking strategies for memorizing them that my kids have been introduced to through Righstart; it was almost exclusively by rote.

[Brenda in FL]

Thanks for all the replies! Very interesting!

 

I am glad that my kids are learning the strategies and memorizing math facts. I also love the mental math in the middle grades of Saxon - again - these are strategies that I was never taught (that I remember!).