Some students might be not as good as others at memorizing facts. Memorizing facts would also not tell you if students actually understand that 3×5 is the same as 5+5+5 or 3+3+3+3+3. They might not even what 3×5 actually mean. Brain researchers conducted a study on number facts. They found that the students who memorized more easily were not higher achieving, they did not have what the researchers described as more “math ability”, nor did they have higher IQ scores. Some students will be slower when memorizing but they still have exceptional mathematics potential. Brain researchers have also found that the students who are most successful with number problems are those who are using different brain pathways – one that is numerical and symbolic and the other that involves more intuitive and spatial reasoning (Park & Brannon, 2013). Additionally brain researchers have studied students learning math facts in two ways – through strategies or memorization. They found that both approaches, strategies or memorization, involve two distinct pathways in the brain and that both pathways are perfectly good for life long use. Importantly the study also found that those who learned through strategies achieved ‘superior performance’ over those who memorized, they solved problems at the same speed, and showed better transfer to new problems. The brain researchers concluded that automaticity should be reached through understanding of numerical relations, achieved through thinking about number strategies (Delazer et al, 2005).

Bridges, PNA’s math program, supports different learning styles. Students are not just taught how to recall facts but they are taught with different strategies, giving students every tool they could try until they pick the right one that works for them.

For example, instead of just having students memorize the answer to 4×6, they are also taught the “doubles doubles” strategy where they double the number they multiply by 4 and then double the result (Double of 6 is 12, double of 12 is 24). Strategies help students quickly compute the answers, and some strategies also make it possible for them to calculate mentally with larger numbers. 

Watch how students multiply by 11 before they were taught strategies.