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long division
Posted:
Feb 23, 1995 4:57 PM
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I have found this discusion quite interesting but I think some people are
missing some important aspects. How about why this algorithm works and
what is really going on? Can we expect young students to really find long
division worth doing if there is no thought about why it works? I would
say definitely not!! Wether the algorithm is important or not is beside
the point the point is why not have a little understanding about division
first? Just because most of us were subjected to this by some elementary
teachers who might have been poorly equiped to handle anything but the
mechanics of the algorithm(I think this would be a little better now a
days) doesn't mean we can't try to delve deeper into the underlying
concepts first and then let the need for the algorithm come out naturally.
Some things to ponder.
scott.
Scott Powell
University Lab School
1776 University Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808)956-4987wk
dpowell@math.ed.hawaii.edu
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