Hands-on Long Division with Skittles for Students with Learning Disabilities

This article explains how to teach long division using hands-on materials (skittles, base ten blocks, colored counters, numeral cards) and investigates reviewing division word problems with middle school students (N=27) with learning disabilities in mathematics by this approach compared to spending the same amount of time on the typical practices of computerized drill and paper/pencil work. Student performance related to division was assessed by an identical pretest/posttest. Both groups participated in ten thirty-minute lessons during which the experimental group used place value color-coded numeral cards, counters and skittles, and the control group reviewed division with computerized practice and worksheet activities. A significant difference was found between the average gain scores of the two groups, favoring the experimental (17.1% versus 4.5%). The experimental group scored as well or better than the control group on all test sections. (Contains 15 figures and 3 tables.)