Big maths Beat that! Shocked and angry!

[Natsku]

I just looked at the questions, I'm shocked too if adults can't get them all right in 30 seconds, let alone a few. Don't people instantly recognise the ones that equal ten at least?

I'm terrible at maths and got them all right in well under 30 seconds. I think it would be hard for a 5 year old though. A 5 year old has only just started school here.

Yeah I wouldn't expect a 5 year old to get them all in 30 seconds but in time and with lots of practice they'll start instantly recognising the answers rather than trying to mentally add them up.

 

[RachA]

I just looked at the questions, I'm shocked too if adults can't get them all right in 30 seconds, let alone a few. Don't people instantly recognise the ones that equal ten at least?

I'm terrible at maths and got them all right in well under 30 seconds. I think it would be hard for a 5 year old though. A 5 year old has only just started school here.

Yeah I wouldn't expect a 5 year old to get them all in 30 seconds but in time and with lots of practice they'll start instantly recognising the answers rather than trying to mentally add them up.

I think from looking at the OP's sig that her son is in year 1 so hasn't just started school. It's still a big ask for a 5 year old but they don't expect them to answer all the questions-just as many as they are able to. My son is in year 3 and generally gets about 5 answers filled in-he is doing x's though and gets the ones he fills in right.

It is all about number recognition and the more they practice the easier they'll find it.
I too learnt my times tables by rote and generally do ok with them. They have actually over the last 2 years brought back in learning by rote in schools.

 

[cherrylips100]

How does this apply to real life? In no situation would a person have to regurgitate numerous math sums in 30 seconds. We all learn differently, yet children get assessed in exactly the same way!?

 

[Quartz]

How does this apply to real life? In no situation would a person have to regurgitate numerous math sums in 30 seconds. We all learn differently, yet children get assessed in exactly the same way!?

No but we often in real life have to quickly add and subtract two numbers. Be it when we are shopping, adding items together, adding money together or travelling and figuring out how many minutes we have to catch a train etc. The idea is that by doing it regularly they memorise them and it becomes second nature the same as reading and writing.

Bringing learning by rote back in for this level of maths is a good thing its not a good thing if its set out as a competition or not explained properly to parents and children which is what happened here.

 

[lindseymw]

How does this apply to real life? In no situation would a person have to regurgitate numerous math sums in 30 seconds. We all learn differently, yet children get assessed in exactly the same way!?

Plenty of jobs require maths.

In my previous job, I did reports and most of it was looking at numbers, adding, subtracting etc. I had to do many sums per 30 seconds.

 

[cherrylips100]

I understand that we need to learn how to do sums quickly but to me, this seems intense for a young child. Wouldn't it be better to let them learn at a steadier pace which will give them more confidence in their abilities? I'm thinking of it in the same way as literacy, many illiterate adults stopped attempting to learn to read as children because of the pressure or because they didn't learn quickly enough.

 

[lindseymw]

I think it may have something to do with the way this has being taught rather than the learning tool itself.

Following my original post on this thread, I have found out that Joshua does this. He loves it. He sees it as a competition with himself to get more right next time. His confidence hasn't altered one bit. This may be his personality, his own ability or the way it has been put forward by the teacher.

 

[RachA]

If this was the only means of teaching them the subject then I would agree but this is one really really small part of it. 30 seconds for one side of the sheet and I think a minute it so for the second side of it. So you are talking about maybe 2 minutes of learning in this way per 27 hour school week.

 

[RachA]

I think it may have something to do with the way this has being taught rather than the learning tool itself.

Following my original post on this thread, I have found out that Joshua does this. He loves it. He sees it as a competition with himself to get more right next time. His confidence hasn't altered one bit. This may be his personality, his own ability or the way it has been put forward by the teacher.

This is exactly the point-taught in the right way it is a personal challenge with oneself and nothing to do with other children in the class.

 

[morri]

I suppose though that you get sensitive and perfectionist children. It is not the right tool for those. I can easily imagine I child getting disheartened if it wasnt able to finish it all by 30 seconds. which is ridiculously small. I dont think much of just rote learning by heart under time pressure. why have time pressure for such little children? (besides the fact that school only starts at 6 to 7 years old here. )