Using digital storytelling for teaching the subtraction algorithm to 2nd grade pupils

Abstract

The paper reflects on a teaching intervention which utilized digital storytelling as an approach for teaching the subtraction algorithm in 2nd Grade. Literature indicates that this is a difficult topic for children of this age. The aim was to examine if through digital storytelling, students find it easier to understand and apply the two subtraction algorithms which are described in the official textbook, namely the “Borrow First and Then Subtract” and the “Austrian Subtraction” algorithms. The results indicate the effectiveness of this approach is, further enhancing the existing literature on the topic.