How to Improve Multiplication Skills
Understand the concepts., Practice your time table daily., Study with friends., Read, recite, and review., Test yourself.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Understand the concepts.
Before you can begin improving your skill set in any area, you need to understand the underlying concept.
If you simply memorize multiplication tables without understanding the math behind them, you'll have more trouble remembering your multiplication tables longterm.
Multiplication is essentially addition repeated.
For example, take 8 multiplied by
3.
This equation is basically 8 plus 8 plus 8, which equals
24.
Therefore, 8 times 3 is
24.In addition to multiplying by whole numbers, you can multiply numbers by fractions or decimals.
If you take 8 times
3.5, you're taking 8 plus 8 plus 8 plus half of 8, which is
4.
This comes out to
28.
Therefore, 8 times
3.5 is
28. -
Step 2: Practice your time table daily.
Studies show that daily practice is the best means for recall.
If you want to improve your multiplication skills, practice your time table on a daily basis.Decide how high you want to be able to multiply in your head.
Some people want to be able to multiply numbers only up to
10.
Some people go as high as 12 to 15 and some people go even higher.
Make a decision based on your own personal goals as well as your current skill level in mathematics.
Then, write up a time table for yourself on a piece of scrap paper.
You can also find time tables online.Each day, practice your time table.
It's best to memorize tables in chunks.
For example, start with the twos.
Write down all the 2's from 1 to 10 every day. 2 X 1 is 2, 2 X 2 is 4, 2 X 3 is 6 and so on.
The best means to memorization is repetition.
The act of simply writing down your times tables each day can greatly improve your multiplication skills.
Try writing down one set 10 times each day.
Once you have mastered that set, move on to the next set., Studying with friends is a great way to improve any skill set including multiplication.
Effective study partners can help you stay on task and give you guidance if you're struggling with a particular problem.
Choose friends who are hard workers.
If you study with friends that tend to have difficulty concentrating, you're likely to distract one another.
Choose study partners whose work ethic you admire.Strive to work with people who are skilled at mathematics.
This way, if you're stuck or confused on a problem you can ask for their assistance., Reading, reciting, and then reviewing the material is a solid way to improve any skill set.
When trying to improve multiplication skills, practice the read, recite, review method.
Read actively.
Go over your multiplication tables and read each answer out loud.
Try to think about the underlying concept behind the tables.
For example, when reading 3 X 5 is 15, think of how 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 =
15.When reading through your multiplication tables, pause and recite what you've just read.
For example, after reading 3 X 5 equals 15 stop, look up, and say to yourself, "Three times five is fifteen."Review your material when you are finished.
Remember, you're reviewing what you ultimately want to accomplish and not what you have already committed to memory.
After you have finished reading and reciting one grouping of your multiplication table, take a moment to briefly re-read the table., Testing yourself can be an effective way to practice your multiplication skills.
You can write up a test yourself of random multiplication equations.
You can also find tests online.
When you are finished testing yourself, grade your test.
See what areas you are strongest in and where you could use improvement. -
Step 3: Study with friends.
-
Step 4: recite
-
Step 5: and review.
-
Step 6: Test yourself.
Detailed Guide
Before you can begin improving your skill set in any area, you need to understand the underlying concept.
If you simply memorize multiplication tables without understanding the math behind them, you'll have more trouble remembering your multiplication tables longterm.
Multiplication is essentially addition repeated.
For example, take 8 multiplied by
3.
This equation is basically 8 plus 8 plus 8, which equals
24.
Therefore, 8 times 3 is
24.In addition to multiplying by whole numbers, you can multiply numbers by fractions or decimals.
If you take 8 times
3.5, you're taking 8 plus 8 plus 8 plus half of 8, which is
4.
This comes out to
28.
Therefore, 8 times
3.5 is
28.
Studies show that daily practice is the best means for recall.
If you want to improve your multiplication skills, practice your time table on a daily basis.Decide how high you want to be able to multiply in your head.
Some people want to be able to multiply numbers only up to
10.
Some people go as high as 12 to 15 and some people go even higher.
Make a decision based on your own personal goals as well as your current skill level in mathematics.
Then, write up a time table for yourself on a piece of scrap paper.
You can also find time tables online.Each day, practice your time table.
It's best to memorize tables in chunks.
For example, start with the twos.
Write down all the 2's from 1 to 10 every day. 2 X 1 is 2, 2 X 2 is 4, 2 X 3 is 6 and so on.
The best means to memorization is repetition.
The act of simply writing down your times tables each day can greatly improve your multiplication skills.
Try writing down one set 10 times each day.
Once you have mastered that set, move on to the next set., Studying with friends is a great way to improve any skill set including multiplication.
Effective study partners can help you stay on task and give you guidance if you're struggling with a particular problem.
Choose friends who are hard workers.
If you study with friends that tend to have difficulty concentrating, you're likely to distract one another.
Choose study partners whose work ethic you admire.Strive to work with people who are skilled at mathematics.
This way, if you're stuck or confused on a problem you can ask for their assistance., Reading, reciting, and then reviewing the material is a solid way to improve any skill set.
When trying to improve multiplication skills, practice the read, recite, review method.
Read actively.
Go over your multiplication tables and read each answer out loud.
Try to think about the underlying concept behind the tables.
For example, when reading 3 X 5 is 15, think of how 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 3 =
15.When reading through your multiplication tables, pause and recite what you've just read.
For example, after reading 3 X 5 equals 15 stop, look up, and say to yourself, "Three times five is fifteen."Review your material when you are finished.
Remember, you're reviewing what you ultimately want to accomplish and not what you have already committed to memory.
After you have finished reading and reciting one grouping of your multiplication table, take a moment to briefly re-read the table., Testing yourself can be an effective way to practice your multiplication skills.
You can write up a test yourself of random multiplication equations.
You can also find tests online.
When you are finished testing yourself, grade your test.
See what areas you are strongest in and where you could use improvement.
About the Author
Mark Griffin
Professional writer focused on creating easy-to-follow hobbies tutorials.
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