Research School Network: Why Automaticity in Mathematics Matters as Much as Phonics in Reading Can verbal memory help all pupils achieve automatic recall of multiplication facts?

If, five to ten years ago, I had seen the approach we now use in my school, I would probably have dismissed it as old-fashioned. On the surface, it has many of the features I once viewed with scepticism: ​‘rote learning’, chanting, repetition, and pupils working through extensive times tables booklets. 

At that time, my thinking was strongly influenced by Jo Boaler, particularly the arguments presented in Mathematical Mindsets (2016). I was persuaded by the warnings about rote learning and timed practice, and the potential for these approaches to disengage pupils in maths and contribute to maths anxiety. I took from Mathematical Mindsets that pupils being able to derive facts from other known facts was a valid and ​“almost as good” alternative to automaticity.

Automaticity isn’t the end point – it’s the doorway

For a long time, I saw automaticity in times tables as a desirable outcome, but something that would come naturally with enough exposure and practice. It felt like the end point of learning rather than a priority along the way. If children were using strategies, thinking carefully, and making sense of multiplication, that seemed enough. However, after staff from our school participated in a local Maths Hub workgroup, my perspective has shifted: automaticity is vital and achievable with the right approach.

Verbal memory is the key

The approach is backed up by research from Stanislas Dehaene. His work highlights the role of verbal memory in storing number facts, enabling pupils to recall them quickly and effortlessly when needed. ​“A classic strategy consists in recording arithmetic facts in verbal memory ​‘Three times seven, twenty-one’ can be stored word for word alongside ​‘Twinkle twinkle little star’… verbal memory is vast and durable.” (Dehaene, 2011). This reinforces the value of chanting and repeated oral rehearsal, as it taps into the brain’s natural strength for storing rhythmic, language-based information. By embedding multiplication facts in this way, pupils are more likely to achieve rapid, automatic recall that supports wider mathematical thinking.

You can’t walk through the doorway without the key

Expecting children who are not yet fluent in their multiplication tables to access Upper Key Stage 2 maths is unrealistic. National Curriculum expectations for Years 5 and 6 are heavily focused on multiplication and division, fractions, and ratio. It is similar to asking pupils who have not secured the phonic code to read texts beyond their decoding ability. In both cases, the cognitive load is simply too great. This often leads to frustration, reduced confidence, and less capacity to reason effectively. Without automaticity, pupils are not able to give as much focus to new procedures and concepts, causing the attainment gap to widen.

What once looked outdated now unlocks learning

Approaches I once saw as outdated, I now recognise as potentially powerful — when understood properly and implemented with care — as they play a crucial role in developing the automaticity in key facts that is essential and worth explicitly prioritising in our teaching.

References

Boaler, J. (2016). Mathematical mindsets : Unleashing students’ potential through creative math, inspiring messages and innovative teaching. [online] San Francisco, Ca: Jossey-Bass. Available at: https://newteacherlibraryandto….‌

Dehaene, S. (2011). The Number Sense. Oxford University Press.

Education Endowment Foundation (2021). COGNITIVE SCIENCE APPROACHES IN THE CLASSROOM: A REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE. [online] Available at: https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/documents/guidance/Cognitive_science_approaches_in_the_classroom_-_A_review_of_the_evidence.pdf?v=1699278838.