The teacher giving times tables a K-pop twist

Learning times tables might not be the most thrilling part of the school day for primary pupils - so a Sheffield teacher has given maths lessons a musical twist.

Chris Walker, year five teacher at Ecclesfield Primary School, has set multiplication to K-pop hits, saying it was "absolutely crazy" to see his songs go viral.

Walker had the idea six years ago when he shared a Viking song on YouTube so children could practise at home ahead of an assembly. He said his K-pop times tables were having an impact on learning, with children "100%, absolutely" improving.

Nine-year-old Kelaine said: "He's the one who made me love maths, because I love my times tables and listening to these songs."

Her classmate Sidney, also nine, added: "If you play the actual song, you end up singing the times table song, because you just can't get them out of your head."

K-pop originated in South Korea and has evolved to a global phenomenon, thanks to the success of bands such as BTS and Blackpink and animated movie KPop Demon Hunters.

Walker has amassed millions of views on social media with followers in Indonesia, South America and the US as well as the UK.

"It just blew up," he said. "I had four million views on my last Katseye one which was absolutely crazy."

He said he wanted to make learning more memorable and engaging and to introduce more music into the classroom.

"What's really nice is walking down the corridor and hearing the other classes singing it," he said.

"Our year fours at the moment are getting ready for a big times table test - you hear them singing them all the time, and good luck to them."

Walker said he had always played in bands and made music, and was always singing in the car on his way to work.

"If something comes to me, I'll go home and turn it into a song and try it out at school," he said.

Walker said being a primary school teacher was just "really, really fun".

"You can get the children singing songs and you can do fun stuff like this, so that's really nice," he added.

He said there had been a big positive reaction from parents, and he thought it worked because it was "just another way of remembering times tables" rather than by repetition.

"Just having that tune in your head I think just helps you remember them," he said, adding that music should be used in all schools.

"I think back to when I was at school and what I remember is songs and I can remember lyrics from years and years ago."

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