Yr maths - partitioning?

[Strix]

What the heck is partitioning? I'm not even sure I have the right word. Something to do with addition. But I'm not sure what...

partitioning is splitting a number into tens and units
for example 24 = 2 tens and 4 units = 20 + 4

They teach this to help kids add up, so if you are doing 25 + 32 instead of counting 25 tiddly winks and 32 tiddly winks or counting on your fingers, you would partition the numbers
25+32=
20 + 5 + 30 + 2
then you can add up the tens and units separately in your head, kids will be taught to count in tens
20 + 30 makes 50
5 + 2 makes 7
then put it back together
to make 57
hope that makes sense!!

Beat me to it, humpty! Superb explanation. Gold star.

thank christ i learnt something at teacher training college

Ah, that makes sense. Although, we are going to have a little conflict with Kumon. I guess DD wil have to remember to do it one way at Kumon and another at school.

Today she told me they had a question to double 238. It seems to me this would be easier written down on paper and added up right to left.

238
+238
___
579

(adding the 8s, then the 3s, then the 2s)

I was going to show off too

You beat me to it

oh bugger... 479

476???

strix the whole point of maths now-a-days compared to when we were kids is to get them to work stuff out in their heads. They teach loads of different ways of adding up etc and will learn the way you suggested but not till later.
the example double 238 is really the same way you do it, but if you just think double 2, double 3 etc, you might get confused about the zeros because the 2 is actually 200 etc.
if you think about it, it's the same way you're doing it except you call it double 200, double 30 and double 8!!

ok, I should not drink beer and type on mn at the same time. Yes, 8 + 8 is 16. I did know taht really...

^^

Yes, you are right. It probably does more to sort of train and develop the mathemaical brain, and help them understand the place values. My way just seems easier but maybe that is just because it is what I know because that is hoe I was taught.

However, I believe I just demonstrated that I stink at math... or possibly typing.

quite an easy way of doing it is to double 240 and then take away 4 i.e. 480 - 4 = 476
but I am not sure if taht is considered a good way of teaching it

hey strix, don't be so hard on yourself!!! I still count on my fingers when nobody is looking!!
there are loads of ways to do the same thing and the aim is to show kids a ton of different methods so eventually they can pick the one that works best for them rather!!
claig that would be a much better way of doing it!!! And would be taught to look for tricks like that too!

I thought the whole point of mental maths was to realise that doing column addition using a pen & pencil was not the quickest way.
You could work out double 240 and then take away 4 i.e. 480 - 4 = 476 before you could even finish scribbling down the sum. To teach a child to blindly use one method like column addition, isn't doing them any favours.

But you have to make a few calculations to get to the 4. You have to recognise that 8 is 2 less than 10, and then you have to double the 2 to get the 4. Seems a tall order for a 6 year old.

But, I'm sure you are right. Introduce lots of ways and let her work out the one that works best for her.