How to Learn Math Division

Using a calculator makes math division much easier.

Learning math division can be very tricky depending on how it is taught. Long division can be a hard concept for children to grasp right off the bat, so it can be made easier by teaching division in a more visual form. Division is used on a daily basis, in construction, teaching, sales and other occupations, so it is important for everyone to know how to perform long division.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil Paper Counting blocks and sticks Calculator (optional)

Instructions

How to Learn Math Division

1. Explain how division works. Essentially, tell your students that the purpose of division is to see how many of one number will fit into another number.

2. Show the students two types of blocks. The long "sticks" will be worth 10 units, while the small "blocks" will be worth one unit. This will help the students visualize the division much more easily.

3. Give the students a division problem. For example, how many times does four go into 76, or "What is 76 divided by four?"

4. Show the students how to draw out blocks that represent the four sections into which you will be breaking down the 76 units. Inside the 4 blocks, direct the students to place one stick inside each, repeating until they can go no further without the contents of the blocks being unequal. You should have one stick in each block.

5. Instruct the students to "trade in" the remaining three sticks for "blocks". They should now have 36 blocks. Again, instruct the students to distribute the blocks into the four drawn blocks evenly, until they cannot go any further because the contents would be uneven. You should have nine blocks in each drawn block, for a total of 19 units in each block.

6. Ask the students to count the number of units in one block. Since there are 19, the answer to the question "What is 76 divided by 4?" is 19.

Tips & Warnings

• Experiment with ways to teach your class long division. Some classes learn better doing long-hand division the old fashioned way, while others will excel using a visual method. Choose the one that is more suited toward the student or the class you are teaching.

• Don't use paper cutouts to teach visual math division. The pieces can wrinkle and tear too easily, so either laminate paper strips, or invest in plastic pieces with the proper number of units included on each piece.

References

• Snork's Long Division Game
• Guidance to Help Teach Your Child Division