Math Multiplication Strategy: Using Alternative or Standard Algorithms
Math Strand: Number Sense and Numeration
Overview:
The ability to use alternative or standard algorithms Indicates proficiency along the student continuum of Numeracy Development in Multiplication. Students benefit from working with a partial product algorithm before they are introduced to the standard multiplication algorithm.
How to Support Student Learning:
Multiplication Guide to Effective Instruction pages 20-21
http://www.eworkshop.on.ca/edu/resources/guides/NSN_vol_3_Multiplication.pdf
Working with open arrays, as explained in the partial products video, helps students to understand how numbers can be decomposed in multiplication. The partial product algorithm provides an organizer in which students record partial products, and then add them to determine the final product. The algorithm helps students to think about place value and the position of numbers in their proper place-value columns.
When introducing the standard multiplication algorithm, it is helpful for students to connect it to the partial product algorithm. Students can match the numbers in the standard algorithm to the partial products.
The ability to perform computations efficiently depends on an understanding of various strategies, and on the ability to select appropriate strategies in different situations. When selecting a computational strategy, it is important to examine the numbers in the problem first, in order to determine ways in which the numbers can be computed easily. Students need opportunities to explore various strategies and to discuss how different strategies can be used appropriately in different situations. The standard algorithm is one of many strategies which students are eventually expected to perform.
Share your classroom experiences with us on Instagram and Twitter at @LKelempro #EngageLK!
No comments:
Post a Comment