Math “Facts”, Multiplication, Memory, Mind

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I just read an interesting and valuable post by a concerned parent at “Mindless Math Mutterings” (which are anything but). I like that blogger’s thoughtful posts about education.

This particular post was about becoming and expert with math “facts.”

I have one observation that I feel has been terminally left out of this discussion, though:

Although the basic building blocks must be able to be used immediately when needed, what we generically call “memorization” is a dead-end for most people.

We require children to sit and “memorize” in order to learn, but we don’t teach them how to memorize. Memorization is a skill, just like other thinking skills, that needs learning and tweaking. Rote memory is a terrible myth. I mean, it works for some, but it is not the only, nor is it the best, way for most people.

Before society did things by “rote,” the elites learned the art of memorization (ars memoria). We lost that as paper and books entered the general culture. (With every blessing comes a hidden curse?)

Since we lost our “art,” we are at a loss to do something that was commonplace before. Sort of like cars and horseback riding.

The thing is, most intelligent people know that we still need to be able to “ride the horse” of memory. But telling a kid to “just sit there and memorize it” is like telling him to “get on that horse and ride” without teaching him how to ride. Could be done. Wouldn’t want it to be the default method though, right?

In “The Mind of a Mnemonist” by Alexander Luria (One of the founders of modern neuropsychology), the subject (the mnemonist “S”) was observed solving mathematical problems. His methods were entirely counterintuitive to what most educators today would tell you are the “correct” ways, yet he could solve things in seconds that the “experts” would be stupified by. And he did not do it with mnemonic solutions to formulas. He did it with reasoning and visualization skills that are entirely ignored in public schools, and pretty much anywhere else. You have probably never heard of them. If you want a fascinating, eye-opening read, get a copy of that book.

By the way, mnemonics is the expert use of memory devices. If it isn’t expert, it’s just a bunch of memory tricks. It’s named after the mother of the younger Muses, Mnemosyne.

So math “facts” (a counterproductive word if I ever heard one) need to be ingrained, but we need caring, informed people to give kids the best methods and help them explore in a meaningful way.

No, this is not a call for those idiotic TERC etc. methods. They are about selling a method to people who don’t understand them, and then telling them to teach it to kids. Bad mojo!

Better mojo is to learn to love the things about math that you want to teach a kid. And that is easy. There are soooo many cool ways to multiply that should be explored, thoroughly. But they should not be relied upon to be the default method for multiplication.

Remember Bruce Lee? He created Jeet Kune Do, which was a mixture of many martial arts and straight-up, artless streetfighting techniques.

He explored enough to be able to know what worked for him, and most people in general. In other works he became an expert. And I mean a real expert.

I’m sure you see where I’m going with this.

Despite it being a shameless plug, I am going to once again mention that if you want to get your “multiplication facts” (God, I hate that term!) down, the Jeet June Do of multiplication starts with “Numbers Juggling - Times Without the Tables”.

And as far as memory goes, you could not do much better than to go right to the best memory teacher of the 20th century, Harry Lorayne. Get his book, “How to Develop A Super-Power Memory.” You can find it in amazon.com.

Yes, it’s a hokey name. It was originally written in the 50’s. It’s been re-edited and re-released, and it still blows all other books (his included) out of the water.

Readers of this blog may know that I have been a professional magician for over thirty years. I learned a lot of my material from Harry Lorayne books, and seeing him at meetings and lectures around New York City in the 70’s. They guy is amazing, and he is a great teacher.

‘Nuff said?

- B

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