Vaughn Cube For Multiplication

An approach to learning multiplication facts that may leave you exclaiming – “Why didn't someone teach me like this?" Or, it may leave you just scratching your head. It will depend on your learning style and retention ability. This program is ALL about connections – connections that some students need to be able to remember. Video instruction (enclosed DVD) is coupled with activity sheets (answers included) and some additional online quizzes/activities and a final test. The basic learning process is to watch short (10 min) video lessons and then complete activities – both printed and online. All components are included in the purchase of the single manual.

Starting with the “Four Rules," the author systematically works through the 10x10 multiplication table providing a system of picture/number association that vastly improves retention for some students – notably right-brain thinkers. All but 28 of the 100 multiplication facts fit neatly into Rules 2-4:

1. Rule 2 – The Zero Rule (zero times any number equals zero) accounts for 21 facts
2. Rule 3 – The One Rule (one times any number equals the number) accounts for another 19 facts; and
3. Rule 4 – The Two Rule (two times any number equals the number added to itself) accounts for 17 facts.

Rule 1 is The Lessor Rule (you read the lower number first in every multiplication problem). The Lessor Rule shows that the 56 remaining facts are really two groups of 28 facts (i.e. 4x5 is the same fact as 5x4). Knowing/remembering the answer to both facts means learning only one connection between the two numbers and this is where the Vaughn Cube comes in.

The Vaughn Cube is a three-dimensional virtual room that the student visualizes with the help of video instruction and animations. Walls are color-coded and numbers are assigned to corners and mid-wall positions. A helpful robot points to items (such as nail, match, rope, and foot) positioned with each number. The student is taught to associate each item with a number. Then item associations are expanded to include the connections between every number. (i.e. 4 and 5; 3 and 7). These items are carefully chosen, which becomes apparent as the student is taught the digit code that corresponds to a particular sound. For instance, 3 is the Mmmm sound; 6 is the ch sound. Each of the sounds are illustrated by a short animation and a picture. The last teaching segments show how to convert the item names into numbers. At this point the only thing left for the student to do is to realize that the items connected to two numbers can be decoded by using the sounds to numbers code. For instance, 7x9 equals C h i m e which can be converted to 63 by way of the Ch and m sounds.

To summarize, the process is this:

1. Digits 0-9 are each associated with items
2. Connections between these digits are associated with items
3. Sounds are associated with 0-9 digits
Item names are converted into numbers

Some people will think all these associations and coding is a needless activity when you can “just" memorize the fact 7x9 = 63. But, there are some students for whom that memorization is an insurmountable barrier to ever learning the times tables. And, there are others who will take to this method and “own" the facts much more quickly than with other types of memorization devices. This program is for them. ~ Janice