Division is a really tricky calculation and in order for children to be able to answer division questions using short methods, they need to have a good knowledge of times tables.
It’s also really important to understand what division is, i.e breaking a number up into equal parts. Children should be taught to understand that when we ask them to calculate 42÷3, it means we are asking them how many groups or lots of 3 go into 42. This is a difficult concept to understand as the vocabulary is tricky and it means we need to use our knowledge of times tables too!
Using something called the bar model is a good way that division can be introduced to children in Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6). A bar model can help children clearly see what is being done in the division process and understand what division means. This bar model method doesn’t work for really large numbers as it would take a long time to draw the tens and ones out but its a good starting point and can be used for 2 digit ÷ 1 digit calculations.
Take a look at the video below to see how it can be used:
