For centuries, elementary students have struggled to learn addition and multiplication facts. Some learn them easily, but for others it is grand drama between parents, teachers, and student. Despite the successes, the approach taken in many cases is wrong. The article titled “Fluency without Fear: Research Evidence on the Best Ways to Learn Math Facts” (Boaler, 2015), offers some solutions.
The author writes that rote memorization of math facts has limited value if it is not accompanied with a true understanding of numbers (number sense). In fact, learning math facts is best viewed as an extension of number sense rather than a route to achieve it. People with number sense are those who can use numbers flexibly. When asked to