Did you check out our blog on division? And did you read about short division? Isn't that just wonderful? Now, let's talk about some practice for short division. When I was a child, my mother created puzzles for my siblings and me. They were ... Read More
Dr. Cotter on Division
Long division used to be considered the ultimate goal of arithmetic. An earlier division algorithm was so complicated it wasn’t taught until college. Today some students learn a mnemonic in order to remember what to do when in the long division ... Read More
Dr. Cotter on Addition and Subtraction Facts
Addition Addition can be thought of as finding the whole when the parts are known. Place value greatly simplifies finding the sum of two numbers. To be efficient in adding, we start with the sums of numbers 1 + 1 through 9 + 9. These are best ... Read More
Dr. Cotter on Measurements
Measurement is an application of math that is an important part of everyday life. We measure length, area, volume, mass (weight), temperature, time, angles, and many other attributes. For more than simple comparisons, we need numbers and a basic ... Read More
Dr. Cotter on Manipulatives
When teaching math to a child, there are three important questions to consider: Are manipulatives necessary for teaching math? What is the purpose of manipulatives? Are some manipulatives better than others? First of all, let's define ... Read More
Dr. Cotter on Place Value
Place value is the very foundation of arithmetic. Place value packages numbers into groups of tens and tens of tens. This makes calculating large numbers similar to adding single-digit numbers: 3 + 4 is similar to 30 + 40, 300 + 400, 3000 + 4000, and ... Read More