Need Help with Rote Memorization of Steps for Long Division

[nanette0269]

DS is dyslexic, and by using the TimesAlive, multiplication facts have been easier than expected, but the rote memorization of the steps associated with long division frustrates him considerably....is there a resource online that could help?  He engages fairly well with TimesAlive, so if there was another visual/electronic medium, I think he would learn it more efficiently.

 

[Kanin]

Could you just write a list with the steps?  Sometimes it can help a lot until he has the steps memorized.  :laugh:

[Storygirl]

Two suggestions:

 

1) A child in school may have the accommodation that they can have a card listing the order of the steps to refer to. So I wouldn't hesitate to provide that at home if it would help.

 

2) Have you looked at partial quotient division? I never heard of it until this year when my children had to do it for school. It seems strange and unwieldy at first, but now that we've learned it and used it for awhile, I think it's easier than the traditional way. You can teach this yourself, even if it is not part of the curriculum you are using.

[justasque]

Dracula Must Suck Blood = Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Bring down.  

 

Also, division by repeated subtraction is an excellent way to get a student capable of long division (of whole numbers) without getting bogged down in the process.  They can gain loads of practice this way, improving their times tables etc. while still moving forward in the other topics which require long division.  Plus, it helps them to understand how the algorithm works.  

 

I tell a little story to go with it, to give them context.  Packing cookies into bags, starting with 144 cookies and putting six in each bag, for example.  (I don't have time to explain the process - perhaps someone else will jump in.  Basically, you set it up like normal long division, but you can use any multiple of the divisor.  So 144/6 could start with 1 group of six (subtract the 6, you get 138), then try 4 groups of six (subtract the 24, you get 114), and so on until you get down to zero.  The multiplier is written down the right side, and once you get down to zero, you add up all the multipliers you've used to get the answer.  As the child gets more practice with the method, you can encourage them to begin to use multiples of ten, eventually morphing into the standard division algorithm.)

[Storygirl]

Dracula Must Suck Blood = Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Bring down.  

 

Also, division by repeated subtraction is an excellent way to get a student capable of long division (of whole numbers) without getting bogged down in the process.  They can gain loads of practice this way, improving their times tables etc. while still moving forward in the other topics which require long division.  Plus, it helps them to understand how the algorithm works.  

 

I tell a little story to go with it, to give them context.  Packing cookies into bags, starting with 144 cookies and putting six in each bag, for example.  (I don't have time to explain the process - perhaps someone else will jump in.  Basically, you set it up like normal long division, but you can use any multiple of the divisor.  So 144/6 could start with 1 group of six (subtract the 6, you get 138), then try 4 groups of six (subtract the 24, you get 114), and so on until you get down to zero.  The multiplier is written down the right side, and once you get down to zero, you add up all the multipliers you've used to get the answer.  As the child gets more practice with the method, you can encourage them to begin to use multiples of ten, eventually morphing into the standard division algorithm.)

 

This is describing partial quotient division, OP, just so you know we are suggesting the same thing. I'm sure you can see examples online. It sounds complicated, but it is actually an easier way of thinking. The student doesn't have to figure out the quotient correctly on the first attempt, as the standard algorithm requires. But still ends up with a correct answer.

[justasque]

This is describing partial quotient division, OP, just so you know we are suggesting the same thing. I'm sure you can see examples online. It sounds complicated, but it is actually an easier way of thinking. The student doesn't have to figure out the quotient correctly on the first attempt, as the standard algorithm requires. But still ends up with a correct answer.

 

Exactly.  I always use it to introduce division.  It has been very successful for me with advanced students, those who struggle a bit, and those who are behind due to lack of instruction for one reason or another.  In all three cases, it allows them to do more complex problems of all kinds, such as reducing fractions, which in turn improves their mental math skills.  In addition, there is a natural path to transitioning to the regular division algorithm.  

 

Here's a video to get you started:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRYAJxaCDGA

[OneStepAtATime]

Love, love, love partial quotient division (or sometimes called hangman's division).  It was a HUGE help here for getting the steps of division down.  DD would struggle and struggle with long division.  Once she had some practice with partial quotient (took her all of one afternoon) she flies through division now.

 

I wish someone had shown ME partial quotient division when I was in school.  And Lattice method for multiplication...soooo much easier and more logical to me and DD and DS.

 

OP I would suggest you practice partial quotient yourself first, before trying to show it to your child.  It may seem really odd at first and possibly cumbersome if you are completely ingrained in the standard method but honestly it may help a lot.

[Alessandra]

You could check out Long Division Touch app. You don't memorize steps, but you internalize them by moving the numbers around with your fingers.

 

http://www.regularberry.com/

Edited February 25, 2016 by Alessandra

[Heathermomster]

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/partial-quotients-division/id351024352?mt=8

http://customgraph.com/SG/piart.php?art=654(printed up in a light, light color)

 

http://www.modmath.com/(this app takes away the handwriting aspect of math)