developmental teaching

Rote learning is not the best approach for mathematics instruction. 

Research shows that our initial learning experiences have a powerful impact on our lasting impressions and understandings of those concepts. This means it is vital that we recognise the importance of hands-on, concrete, manipulative-based instruction in the early years of numeracy development. 

Dyscalculia specialist Steve Chinn explains that, "Rote learning may well set in place information that will help future development, but it is not the only way, especially with maths where there are many opportunities to use what you know to work out what you don't know. There are often alternatives and often these can develop understanding. In maths the learner needs to know facts, but also how to use these facts to develop their access to other 'facts'."

He makes a compelling argument for developmental mathematics in this article.