Of the four mathematical operators, division seems to not sit easily for many learners. Division is often described as "the odd one out". Pupils develop coping strategies that enable them to "get away with it". So, problems, misunderstandings, and misconceptions go unresolved perhaps for a lifetime. Why is this? Is it a case of "out of sight out…

The author tells the story of an exploration he undertook, what he learned, and the questions he was able to answer as a result. Thinking, on the part of the learner, is complex, far from explicit, and some might say intangible. But, by recognising certain "clues" it might be possible to begin to understand how different types of thinking…

Of the "big four", division is likely to regarded by many learners as "the odd one out", "the difficult one", "the one that is complicated", or "the scary one". It seems to have been that way "for ever", in the perception of many who have trodden the learning pathways through the world of…

The multiplicative principle is the tool allowing the counting of groups that can be described by a sequence of events. An event is a subset of sample space, i.e. a collection of possible outcomes, which may be equal to or smaller than the sample space as a whole. It is important that students understand this basic principle early on and know how…

In the September 2010 issue of "Mathematics Teaching," Tom O'Brien offered practical advice about how to teach addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and contrasted his point of view with that of H.H. Wu. In this article, the author revisits Tom's examples, drawing on his methodology while, hopefully, simplifying it and giving it…

Multiplication facts are difficult to teach. Therefore many researchers have put a great deal of effort into finding multiplication strategies. Sherin and Fuson (2005) provided a good survey paper on the multiplication strategies research area. Kolpas (2002), Rendtorff (1908), Dabell (2001), Musser (1966) and Markarian (2009) proposed the finger…

The author has been prompted to write this article about finger multiplication for a number of reasons. Firstly there are a number of related articles in past issues of "Mathematics Teaching" ("MT") which have connections to this algorithm. Secondly, very few of his primary teaching students and professional colleagues appear to be aware of the…

Many high-school mathematics teachers have likely been asked by a student, "Why does the cross-multiplication algorithm work?" It is a commonly used algorithm when dealing with proportion problems, conversion of units, or fractional linear equations. For most teachers, the explanation usually involves the idea of finding a common denominator--one…

Most people struggle to process information auditorily but this is often the way that it is taught. Presents a highly effective method for teaching multiplication that can be accessed at students' fingertips. (ASK)

Presents an activity on visualizing fingers for arithmetic, counting, and multiplication. (ASK)

The author advocates the classroom consideration of new algorithms as a means of leading students to make original hypotheses. He discusses a multiplication algorithm based on the differences between squares. (SD)

A description is given of a game used to give a continuous review of multiplication facts and illustrate certain properties. (MP)

A method is discussed for justifying to students the fact that the product of two negative integers is positive. (DT)

Observations of students working with subtraction and division are reported. The instructional situation and goals of the teacher are discussed. (SD)