In mathematics education at the primary school level, chunking (sometimes also called the partial quotients method) is an elementary approach for solving simple division questions by repeated subtraction.
In general, chunking is more flexible than the traditional method in that the calculation of quotient is less dependent on the place values.
As a result, it is often considered to be a more intuitive, but a less systematic approach to divisions – where the efficiency is highly dependent upon one's numeracy skills.
In the UK, this approach for elementary division sums has come into widespread classroom use in primary schools since the late 1990s, when the National Numeracy Strategy in its "numeracy hour" brought in a new emphasis on more free-form oral and mental strategies for calculations, rather than the rote learning of standard methods.
The more freeform nature of chunking also means that it requires more genuine understanding – rather than just the ability to follow a ritualised procedure – to be successful.