Do you remember when your parents would chastise you for doing your arithmetic work with your fingers? And as we were doing this, we would envision our fingers while our hands were tied behind our backs. Refraining from using one’s fingers during that time wasn’t easy. Why do we continue to teach pupils not to use their fingers when we know we can’t refrain from using this method ourselves?
Finger actions can help children figure out how to answer the problem at hand, and as they continue to work on their math, they will eventually learn all the facts by repetition. Using one’s fingers is not the quickest way to remember a multiplication fact while working on a problem, but using one’s fingers can help kids figure out how to answer the problem.
It is also necessary to note that for your kid to comprehend additional finger tricks, he must first be able to count by 2s, 5s, and 10s and multiply by 2s, 3s, and 4s. This is a prerequisite for learning other finger tricks.
Importance of Visual Learning
Consider the situation in this light. Recently, there has been a rush to incorporate images into classroom instruction. Because it has been shown that children retain data better when presented in a visual format, several schools have begun using “smart class” strategies to teach pupils via visuals.
According to one research, the human brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text. The paradigm shift toward effective learning via pictures has been quite successful in education.
Types of Visuals
Now, what about fingers leads you to believe they are not types of visuals? One of the disciplines that presents the most challenge is mathematics, particularly in the first stages of education when we are just learning how to count. Undeniably, including images in one’s math lessons is one of the best ways to make it through this stage with relative ease. The use of fingers is the most straightforward method of incorporating pictures into our mathematical research that we can do.
Not only does letting our pupils count with their fingers motivate them to count, but it also has the potential to be helpful when teaching them fundamental addition. Science blog research identifies fingers as a viable replacement for the ubiquitous abacus and discusses how they can be used to conduct basic arithmetic operations.
On the other hand, there is something that prevents you from letting your pupils make use of this straightforward method.
Famous finger techniques
Professors have always been adamant about not letting students use their fingers while doing arithmetic. It is generally agreed that counting and computing with one’s fingers is a less clever method to approach these tasks. The vast majority of adults consider it a childish trick that provides answers but does not assist in understanding, and they believe that it may impede the development of the kid’s brain. Furthermore, they see it as a technique that may prevent kids from learning new things as they age.
This is a severe reason to worry because by prohibiting the use of fingers in mathematics classes in many schools throughout the globe, we are limiting the intellectual potential of our pupils and therefore restricting the extent of their brain development.
Tricks for 3s and 4s
Multiplication by threes and fours may be simplified into a simple process involving counting the result on your fingers. Your children will eventually be able to move on to more substantial numbers if they have internalized the process of counting out the solution and committed it to memory.
Multiple of three
Did it occur that each of your fingers is composed of three separate segments? Counting the segments on each finger enables you to do calculations ranging from three times one to three times ten.
Put up the number of fingers that will be the product of your multiplication by three. For instance, if the equation is three times 4, you should hold up four fingers.
If you count each segment on each of the fingers you are holding up, you should arrive at the number 12, which is the accurate answer.
Multiple of four
Performing a multiplication by four is equivalent to performing multiplication by two times. To begin with:
Put up the number of fingers that corresponds to the number that will be multiplied by four and say it out loud. For instance, if you multiply four by 6, you should display six fingers on your hand.
Start with your left hand and work your way to the right, multiplying each finger by 2. Then count each finger once more, continuing to measure in increments of 2 until you have done so for each finger twice.
It is often simpler to track what you have counted twice if you put your finger down as you are measuring for the first time and then bring it back up as you depend for the second time.
Multiplication of 6, 7, 8, or 9
Most children have little trouble remembering the numbers one through five, but the sixth and higher digits might be challenging. Utilizing this time-saving strategy will make finding solutions to those issues much more spartan.
To get started, give each finger its number. The tips of your thumbs each symbolize the number 6, your index fingers each represent the number 7, and so on.
After that, place each finger on the table, including the fingers covering the values you are multiplying. If you were bearing eight by 7, for instance, you would place your thumb, forefinger, and middle finger on your left hand and your thumb and forefinger on your right hand. This would be the same procedure if you were multiplying eight by 8.
To begin, double the number of fingers that are now raised. In the case of 8 x 7, you would have two fingers up on your right hand and three fingers on your left hand. To obtain the number 6, multiply “2” by “3.” This is the digit that goes in the one’s place.
After that, subtract ten from each of the numbers that have been reduced. When playing 8 x 7, you should have five fingers down, which brings your score up to 50.
If you add your two numbers, you should arrive at 56, which is the correct response to the equation 8 multiplied by 7.
Another trick for nine
A technique may be used on its own, only to multiply by nine. To begin, hold up all 10 of your fingers while turning your palms to face you.
With the thumb on your left hand, assign a number to each finger on your right hand. The index finger of your left hand will be numbered one, the thumb of the left hand will be numbered two, and so on, until the number 10 is reached for the right hand’s pinky finger. [
To solve a problem, you must first put down the finger corresponding to the digit you are multiplying by nine. For instance, if bearing nine by 7, you would place your seventh finger on the number 7.
Count each finger to the right of the down finger by 10s, beginning with the down finger. In this scenario, you would get sixty.
Count each finger to the left of the down finger as one, starting from the leftmost finger. You would get 3 in this scenario.
Avoid counting the finger that is now down at all costs. The correct answer is 63.
Conclusion
Although you may expect that your children will ultimately remember their multiplication tables, it is not a terrible method for them to learn if you teach them some short tactics and let them count things on their fingers.
The fact that the solution is never more than a few taps away helps to alleviate irritation, and the need to figure it out repeatedly helps to ingrain the information in their memories.