This week Room 9 started their maths work looking at multiplication and division strategies. 

Back in the "Olden Days" when Mr Boon was at school (ABBA and Meatloaf were topping the charts), there was a lot of singing of facts and flash cards, or rote learning of multiplication and division.

Flashing forward to these more modern times (Taylor Swift or Lorde anyone?), things have changed. Learning the facts is still hugely important, sometimes through flash cards and other such memory options, but students also need to explore various strategies through a range of problem-solving activities. 

That is where Room 9 is currently. The challenge on day 1 was to use materials to create 5 x 2. Everybody knew the answer to this question was (and still is!) 10. The challenge was to create this using materials - dice, plastic beans, interlocking cubes or ice block sticks. 

Why? The more often students see what 5 x 2 looks like , the more likely they can visualise what it looks like and draw on this knowledge to solve other problems. For example, if I know that 5 x 2 = 10  then five lots of four (5 x 4) is going to be double 10 or 10 + 10. Then we can begin investigating the related Family of Facts for 5 x 2 = 10, which would be: 5 x 2 = 10, 2 x 5 = 10, 10 ÷ 2 = 5, and 10 ÷ 5 = 2. 

We will have more Maths news as it comes to hand!

Mr B & Room 9.