How the Japanese teach Multiplication(or so I've been told)
My son Ben showed me this method this morning and I really wish I would of had this when I was a kid. This is a fantastic way to help those kids who struggle with math.
We are going to multiply 132 & 25. So here we go........
Now you are going to drawl lines for each and every number you are multiplying. and you are going to group the lines so you can clearly see the number you are working with. Take 132. you will drawl 1 vertical slanted line. then 3 vertical slanted lines together and then 2 vertical lines together. for 25 you are going to drawl 2 horizontal lines together and 5 horizontal lines together. confusing? yes very??? look at the picture.....
Next use a marker to quickly put a dot where every line intersects and then group as follows (I used a high lighter to clearly show the 4 groups of dots:
Now count the dots in each group and line them up to add the number of dots together, Add as normal, right to left and carry as needed.
My answer is:
Calculators answer is:
Now lets do 13 & 22
Of course a calculator is faster. But when you have a child that struggles with math, finding fun ways to get the answer is a huge help. some kids are very hands on and multiplying is hard to grasp. you can use this method for even simple multiplying.