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Originally Posted by jambutty
We had to learn the multiplication tables up to and including the 12 times table off by heart and did so BEFORE joining a Secondary school of some sort. We were even doing long division and multiplication by then too.
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So did I, infact we learnt the multiplication table up to 15 (just for a bit of additional challenge), well before we left primary school.
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Originally Posted by jambutty
Today’s Metric system is so easy that there can be no excuse for an eleven year old not being competent with numbers. Why they are not has to be down to – in no particular order – the education system, the teachers, the pupils and the parents.
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To be fair, you keep mentioning how easy the metric system is, the imperial wasn't rocket science. I'm pretty sure everyone understands the metric system, just some have crap
arithmetic skills. Heck I can't addup on the spot when im put under pressure. My mind just goes blank unless i've been dealing with currency all day, then you get used to giving change.
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Originally Posted by jambutty
We did have a calculator of a sort called Log Tables and Slide Rule and we used them both but not until we had mastered not just arithmetic but also mental arithmetic too. There is nothing wrong with kids using calculators but they should first learn the basics thoroughly. It is easy to hit the wrong key on a calculator without realising it, but when I do and look at the answer I know instinctively that something is wrong.
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Of course you need basics, or you won't understand what a calculator is doing, so won't know what to input. Though for the record I think calculators are much better than logs, logs are usualy quite hard to read, with the mass of numbers surrounding the one you're after. I find it much easier typing it in to a calculator, even when its a long sum with multiple nested brackets, though maybe thats just me.