So, I’m terrible at mathematics. Embarrassingly so, in fact.
I have failed my GCSE Maths exams twice, forgotten about them for 2 years, and only just come back to retake them after I realised that I wanted to go to Uni, and most Uni’s in England expect a level 2 grade of C or above. (I only got a D)
A while ago I came across number mnemonics whilst I was researching Mentalism techniques. (Just leisure reading, I think. I wanted to see how much of the stuff featured on Derren Brown and The Mentalist was actually achievable). Of course, I also found out about the Method of Loci, which is something I have only recently attempted (with quite promising results, actually). So that got me thinking, is there a way I can use MOL and Number Mnemonics to help me get better at maths, so I can ace that exam?
So I came up with this idea to learn the multiplication tables (up to 12x) by combining the 2 methods. Creating rhyming images for each number in sequence(1=Gun, 34=Dirty Floor) and creating separate palaces to store each sequence in. I was going to base this in my school, that way I could walk through it regularly to refresh my memory, and also use different classrooms to represent different number sequences.
Has anybody attempted anything like this before? Does anybody have any alternative ideas of how I could use mnemonic techniques to learn number sequences, or any other ways I can apply it to getting better at mathematics?
I use the method of loci with math to great effect. I store important equations, methods/steps to solve particular problems etc.
I don’t think remembering the multiplication tables is that important for the math you’re learning (you’re allowed to use a calculator for this, right?), but ofc it’s certainly helpful.
That sounds like a good way of doing it. You should take a look at the Major System and the PAO System wiki-pages on this site.
Thanks a lot for the advice, I will take a look at those wiki-pages and see how they work out.
I think there is an exam paper with a calculator and one without. I’m going through text books at the moment and just trying to memorise as much information as I can, in the hopes that it will help me with the actual exam.
(I’m not quite sure how to do that quote thing just yet, bear with me)
I failed my exams because I was lazy, I was daydreaming through lessons and scribbling on my notebooks when I should have been listening. I was also constantly tired, stressed out from problems at home and just generally having a crappy experience. I was also a highly rebellious and overly emotional 15 year old teenager, so I guess that really doesn’t help much does it?
Everyone fails. To get success refer to right study properly. Smart work is better than hard work. So be smart you will get success definitely and one more thing …never underestimate yourself !!
My generation grew up learning our times tables from Schoolhouse Rock segments, about 3 minutes or so each.
Now, they didn’t teach the 1 times tables, as any number times 1 is that number.
Here’s a video with all the segments in one place, teaching about 0, and then the 2-12 multiplication tables (except for 10, since the 0 video also serves that purpose):
