Table  Road

Contact

Granada Learning
Granada Television
Quay Street
Manchester
M60 9EA
England
Tel: +44 (0)161 827 2927
Fax: +44 (0)161 827 2711
e-mail: info@granada-learning.com

For program details go to:-
http://www.granada-learning.com/school/ 
and then search for Table Road

Program evaluation

Simon says:

Some of the students I work with are whizz at most of what they do and make incredible progress. They can also be pretty good at maths - but they don't "know their tables."

What they usually mean is that they don't "know" some of their table facts, or that they're not fast enough.

I'm always on the look-out for new ways of practicing and making tables easier. Often, the simple programs can be best. Amongst the competition to this program are:

Picture Arithmetic,  

Penny Penguin's Maths Bingo,  

Math Brain Builder or 

What to do when you can't learn your times tables.

These four programs don't disguise the fact that you're working on your multiplication facts. 

Table Road attempts to provide "a stimulating environment" in which multiplication facts are used to solve problems and "help the characters" that make up the program.

It's more than just table practice, more using table facts in context to solve problems. There are also screens which explain more about tables and number patterns. The panel opposite shows Granada's publicity for the CD.

The text on screen is sometimes difficult to read being perhaps smaller than is ideal, and the backgrounds to the screens may be distracting. Occasionally it isn't immediately obvious what to do, which may be discouraging to some students.

From the list above my students mostly go for Penny Penguin if they're working / playing in their own time. Table Road does have a place, but isn't my first choice.

Program Details

Granada Learning say:-

"Located in an urban road with colourful streetwise, animal characters, Table Road is an imaginative new title designed to help pupils learn and practise multiplication tables, specifically geared to the National Numeracy Strategy.

• Learn and practise multiplication facts up to 12X12
• Reinforce teaching and learning with the Tell Me More audio slideshows and Number Facts rules and patterns
• Test knowledge with the differentiated Interactive Quiz, complete with optional timer

Table Road makes the task of learning tables fun by introducing pupils to six exciting interactive activities:

• Foxy’s Photos – use number squares to learn about multiples
• Axel Repair – understand multiplication and division
• Roach Records – learn about formal table setting and vocabulary
• Littlewing’s Fliers – practise reverse tables
• Sash’s Diner – use multiplication as a form of counting
• Snoops Stall – practise mental arithmetic
• Betty’s Quickfire Quiz

The disc has a setup facility so that the teacher can specify which tables the pupils are working on in each activity. The disc also comes with teacher support materials, including activity sheets. It is an innovative title, which inspires and encourages pupils to learn multiplication tables."