Last week we took a chance. We cancelled our usual staff meeting, moved it to another day, and invited in a speaker I knew very little about. Bruno Reddy from Times Tables Rock Stars was coming to our school—and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Would it be useful? Would it be engaging? Or would we all leave wondering what else we could’ve done with our afternoon?
As it turns out, Bruno was an absolute masterclass in professional development. The creator of Times Tables Rock Stars, and a former secondary teacher from the UK, Bruno brought a session that was practical, evidence-based, and genuinely inspiring.
A Personal Touch: Pepeha and Purpose
Bruno opened with his pepeha—a gesture of cultural respect that immediately set the tone—and then shared the story behind Times Tables Rock Stars. His journey from classroom teacher to the creator of a global learning platform was filled with authenticity, humour, and purpose.
What struck me was that everything he talked about came back to improving outcomes for learners. It wasn’t about the bells and whistles; it was about what works.
Times Tables and the NZ Maths Curriculum
Bruno didn’t just tell us how great TTRS is—he showed us how it aligns with the refreshed New Zealand Maths Curriculum. He made clear where times tables fit in the bigger picture of maths fluency and problem-solving, helping staff see the value beyond just memorisation.
The Science of Learning: Learning, Forgetting, and Retrieval
One of the highlights for me was Bruno’s deep dive into the science of learning. He focused on retrieval practice—the idea that real learning happens when we encode information, forget it, and then retrieve it again.
His key message?
Little and often beats lots and seldom.
When it comes to times tables, short daily practice is far more effective than a big session once a week. This constant retrieval cements knowledge into long-term memory, making it stick.
Cracking the 17 Times Tables
A hands-on moment was Bruno teaching us how to master the 17 times tables—not by rote learning, but through number sense and patterns. Here’s how we did it:
- Start with 17 x 1 and 17 x 10.
- 17 x 5 = half of 17 x 10.
- 17 x 2 = double 17 x 1.
- 17 x 4 = double 17 x 2.
- 17 x 8 = double 17 x 4.
- 17 x 7 = one less than 17 x 8.
These strategies—doubling, halving, one more/less—are so powerful for students. They shift the focus from memorisation to mathematical reasoning.
Resources: Simple, Structured, and Effective
Interestingly, Bruno didn’t spend much time showing us his website. His focus was the why behind it, not just the what. But from what I’ve seen, Times Tables Rock Stars is intuitive, engaging, and easy for kids to navigate.
He also walked us through some of the written resources, which are thoughtfully structured to support retention and fluency.
Final Thoughts
Bruno’s visit reminded me of what good professional learning looks like. It was practical, culturally responsive, rooted in research, and directly applicable to our classrooms. Staff left buzzing—not just about times tables, but about how we help students embed learning in ways that last.
If you’re looking to sharpen your school’s approach to times tables, I’d highly recommend checking out Times Tables Rock Stars and digging into the science beh
shem banbury 
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