I have many years of experience teaching mathematics at foundation level at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), including students studying nursing, physiotherapy, psychology, engineering and other sciences. I have also taught road-engineering apprentices and college-level students.

In my professional experience, two patterns come up again and again among adults who struggle with mathematics: poor early experiences of learning maths, and neurodivergence that was not recognised or supported earlier, including ADHD and dyslexia. Those experiences can leave capable adults believing that difficulty with basic arithmetic says something about their overall mathematical ability. This route is designed to separate those things and rebuild the missing foundations without shame or unnecessary pressure.

You do not have to work through every section. Start with the description that sounds most like you. If a section feels too easy, skip it. If something is useful, stay with it for a while.

Which feels most familiar?

One important distinction

Not being able to recall a fact instantly is not the same as not understanding mathematics. You may have reasoning, algebra, geometry or problem-solving skills that are much stronger than your multiplication recall. This route treats the gap as a skill to rebuild, not as a verdict on your ability.

You probably know more than it feels like you know

Start with anchor facts: ×2, ×5, ×10, squares you remember, and anything else that comes easily. Then use those facts to reconstruct nearby ones.

The aim is to make the table feel like a network rather than a list of facts you either possess or do not.

If your mind goes blank, you still have somewhere to go

Suppose you are asked 7 × 8 and nothing comes back. Instead of waiting for memory or guessing:

You could also use 5 × 8 + 2 × 8 or double 7 × 4. You do not need the “best” route. You need one you trust.

If you can calculate the facts but want easier recall

This is a practice problem, not an understanding problem. Practice should gradually shorten the route from calculation to recall.

“Worked out” is progress. Do not erase that achievement just because it was not instant.

If the methods always felt arbitrary

You may have been taught multiplication as a table to recite without seeing the structure underneath. Rebuilding that structure can make later techniques feel much less arbitrary.

Equal groups, arrays, commutativity and splitting are not “children’s tricks”; they are the same structural ideas used throughout arithmetic and algebra.

Make the first goal smaller than “be good at times tables”

Start with one thing you can do successfully: identify an easier fact, rebuild an answer, or complete five minutes of practice. The goal is to create repeated experiences of having a route through the problem.

Confidence does not have to come before practice. It can grow from accumulating evidence that you can recover when you get stuck.

Use this sequence

Hands-on does not mean childish.

If sitting still and staring at facts is not helping, change what your body is doing while you practise. Some adults think more clearly while moving, drawing, handling objects or keeping their hands occupied.

• Move beads on an abacus or along a string to build equal groups.
• Draw multiplication rectangles on squared paper.
• Walk or pace while recalling a table.
• Throw and catch a ball between questions.
• Use a fidget during oral recall if it helps you stay focused.
• Tap or clap a rhythm while saying a sequence such as 6, 12, 18, 24…

The point is not to make practice entertaining for its own sake. It is to give the same mathematical relationship another route into memory.

If simple questions make you freeze

A stressful situation can make retrieval harder even when knowledge is there. That means repeatedly putting yourself under more pressure is not necessarily useful practice.

• Do not use a timer unless you actively want one later.
• Pause before answering; silence is allowed.
• If recall fails, move immediately to a reconstruction route rather than waiting for panic to build.
• Count a worked-out answer as success.
• Stop while your thinking is still reasonably fresh.

The aim is to replace “I either know it or I fail” with “If I don’t remember it, I know what to do next.”

Practice without turning it into another ordeal

Choose a small daily target. Five or ten minutes is enough for many people. We recommend no more than 15 minutes in one session.

Getting tired and frustrated is not extra progress. Once attention drops, you are more likely to guess, repeat errors or reinforce the feeling that the task is unpleasant.

Sustainable practice beats heroic practice.