Welcome to my Times Table page. I spent 25 years as a math teacher and learned a hard lesson when I began teaching. If kids don't know their times tables, they have little chance of success in their math classes. This is as true today as it was 25 years ago. Math fads come and go, but one thing is eternal, if you want to succeed at math, you have to learn your times tables.
In 1992, I moved to a teaching position at an alternative high school. After about 4 months of trying to teach math to students that didn't know their times tables, I sat down and created what you will see below. These sheets are just a twelve by twelve grid with the numbers in random order. I started opening each class with one grid--if the student got to the skill level where they could complete the grid in under three minutes, they handed in their finished grid. Iif they didn't complete the grid in under three minutes, they had to take the sheet home and fill out all four grids and hand it in the next day. By the end of the term, they were required to turn in 80% of their sheets.
I was flying by the seat of my pants. But, an interesting thing happened, the students began doing their sheets, and over time could do their times tables in under three minutes--and more important--learned they could do math. The day they got their times tables under three minutes, they would be a new math student. They were more confident in their abilities and more successful as math students.
Occasionally, I would get a student that was at a complete loss--didn't really know much of the times tables, so I designed sheets that would allow them to practice a particular number or numbers. I would send these sheets home with them instead of the twelve by twelve grid. They would slowly learn each number, finally finish a grid, and then one day do the grid in under three minutes.
Of all the things I did as a math teacher, this was the most empowering for my students. So, if you happen to be a parent trying to help you child, click on the links below, print the grid, or individual number. Have your child fill them out--help them to start out, but be consistent. Encourage them, and if necessary, do them with your child. Over the 20 some years I used these sheets, I seldom had a student not succeed. There were a few, but only because they didn't give me a fair effort.
