Some math experts, including Dr Joan Cotter, author of the RightStart Mathematics curriculum, have voiced concern about the felt need for students (particularly those with learning challenges such as dyslexia or dyscalculia) to master the long division algorithm. There are SO many steps, and it's so easy for students to get confused and lose their way. Mnemonics like DMSB can be helpful, but even those can muddy the water further, if they are not keyed to a known saying. One popular one is "Dad, Mom Sister, Brother" - but I have a problem with that, because it could just as easily be "Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister" which is NOT helpful! There is not a set, standard way of saying it. It's also confusing because it skips an important step (that of estimating, and checking, and possibly adjusting your partial quotient) Not to mention not addressing the huge concept of 'what do I do with the remainder?'. In the end, it's best to think about how math gets used in real life. How often do you actually do long division? Be honest. You usually do division in your calculator, particularly when you are dividing by a larger number.
Of course many people used to say "But you won't carry a calculator everywhere." Steve Jobs pretty much blew that theory out of the water! So, in the end, what your student needs is an understanding of the division process. Which, in the RightStart curriculum is presented via an amended, simplified process called 'Short Division'. This process gives a student a clear understanding of what is happening, with the division process, in a simplified way. I'd love to teach it to you or your student, if you are not already RightStart user. Reach out if you are interested. Click here to book a free 30 minute consultation. However, if for some reason your child is needing to learn the long division process, I do have a document, I can share (below) to simplify(?) that a bit for you. This is something I created years ago, for my own children, when they were learning the process, long before I discovered RightStart. I still find that people find it useful, particularly when their child is in some other curriculum, that still requires long division work. Enjoy! I hope it helps.
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