From: Marilyn Ammons
To: Teacher2Teacher Public Discussion
I believe that if children understand the concept of addition and subtraction in concrete terms, they will be able to "memorize" facts faster. If you do not understand what you are trying to memorize, what good does it do you. My main focus with beginning multiplication and division facts with 3rd graders is to give them a good foundation in patterns of numbers, place value, and the number chart from 1 - 100. Students who have this basic understanding have a much easier time learning multiplication and division facts, because they understand what multiplication and division is. The same is true with addition and subtraction. Children will always use their fingers until they grasp the concept of subtraction which is so much more difficult than addition. Still, I think that understanding what the process is helps children "memorize" facts of any kind.
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