Please help-
looking for alternative ways of teaching division other than what was taught to me as a child back in the 80's-the "long division"-
especially for problems such as

356/20-etc....

[loonfourth]

How about using partial-quotient? This is a method of using place value. This seems to work with my struggling students!

[readerabbit]

I will not be able to help but since you brought the topic of division up does anyone know the purpose for dividing down the side of the dividend. IN the new text books back in the '60's there was this thing called Modern Math. To say the least the teachers were not inserviced in how and why to teach and it totally confused me.
I could go home and my mom taught me to divide with what she called put the "answer on the roof" but at school you were required to do it on the right side of the problem. When I would ask why do it that way instead of the the other way . "Because I said so" Thing was I was good in Math until that messed me up. I am so glad that you are trying to figure out new ways to help explain division to kids. I was just wondering about the side thing

[Ms. J]

Here is a link to an article which explains how Marilyn Burns demystifies division!

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...12/ai_99754071

I tried it for the first time this year w/ my 3rd graders. I was very reluctant, but I ended up loving it. My only minor obstacle...parents. While I sent home sample problems explaining it, some still didn't understand it, so when I asked "Johnny" to complete division, he had to do it one way at school and one way at home. If students felt comfortable doing it the way mom or dad had said (and were doing it correctly) I let them. But I have to say, by the end of our division unit, all the students were doing it this way! I look forward to using it again next year!

[kiasun711]

A few years ago we had an in-service with Ms. Math. At first I thought it was hard, but when I tried it I found out I liked it a lot more! I know it is hard to understand without seeing it done, but here is what I send home to explain to parents:

This year my math class is learning an alternate way to do long division. This is different then the divide, multiply, subtract, bring down, repeat sequence that you and I most likely learned. I refer to that way as the traditional method. This alternative way, when understood, helps students master place value, and number sense, as well as what division actually is.

1- Ask how many groups of 4 can be pulled out of 573?
(Students should try to start with the largest place value
and multiples of 10, but they do not have to)
I know that 100 groups of 4 can be taken out of 573.
2- Ask how many did I actually take out?
100 groups of 4 means 100 x 4 which equals 400.
3- Subtract the removed amount from the whole group.
573-400= 173
4- Since the difference is still more then the divisor the pattern continues
5- Ask how many groups of 4 can be pulled out of 173?
I know that 40 groups of 4 is equal to 160 so I will take that out next.
6- Subtract the removed amount from the whole group.
173-160= 13
7- The difference is still more then the divisor so we keep going.
8- How many groups of 4 can be taken out of 13?
I know that 3 groups of 4 is 12 and that is very close to 13
9- Subtract the removed amount from the whole group.
13-12=1
10-The difference is now less then the divisor so I circle it because it is my remainder
11- Add up all the groups that I took out
100+40+3= 143 with my remainder of 1, so my final quotient is 143R1.
12-Check by multiplying.
143 x 4= 572 + 1= 573