Music to Teach the Times Tables Good - Bad - Suggestions - Ideas
What is GOOD
about using music?
Teachers have varying amount of success with music. Most students
enjoy singing along with the tape or CD.
This method works better than rote memory.
There are tapes that are inexpensive.
What is
BAD about
using music?
It does not work well with all students.
After students have learned the
song for a fact family, some need to sing the entire song to remember a fact. (Do you need to sing the entire alphabet song to remember what comes before the
letter "H"?)
What do we suggest?
Use music in combination with another method, or choose another method.
Using music to help teach the multiplication facts is a fairly simple
process.
Some ideas to help increase the
success rate of using
music to teach the times tables:
Repetition
Have students listen to the tapes as often as
possible.
Playing the tape for the whole class works well
when you start teaching the fact.
As more students learn a series of facts, switch
to small group instruction. Use headphones or use a corner of
the room for the instruction.
Order extra copies of the cassettes to send home with students.
Avoid the temptation to make your own copies of the musical
multiplication tapes.
Do not hurry. Take one set of facts at a time and do
not be afraid of
over-teaching each fact.
There are many
commercial products available that use music to teach the times tables.
