Displaying items by tag: math facts

“Fact in My Pocket” is a novel, effective strategy that students can use when they are trying to commit some piece of academic content to memory.  We can recommend this strategy to our students when they are trying to learn such things as math facts, spelling words, vocabulary words, and science terms.

To incorporate this strategy, students will need two index cards or strips of paper, along with two pockets.  Assume, for example, that Jordy needs to learn her multiplication facts.  She begins by identifying the two facts that she finds most difficult.  She then writes the facts on the strips of paper, one fact per strip.  As she heads to school in the morning, she puts one strip in her left pocket and the other in her right.

 This week I conclude my “Learning How to Learn” video series by presenting “Champ’s Big Week,” a story of how one student practices over the course of several days to prepare for his Friday math facts quiz. In the video Champ demonstrates how kids can use a variety of brain-friendly study strategies to learn academic content. The video also shows how parents can support their kids in this effort. It is recommended that parents and teachers share this video with children to empower them with useful strategies and help them become more independent learners.