Which of the following is most appropriate strategy for introducing the concept of multiplication of two decimal numbers in the middle school?

For introducing decimal multiplication in middle school, a visual/pictorial representation (e.g., area models, grid models) helps students grasp the concept meaningfully. Beginning with an algorithm skips conceptual understanding. Repeated addition does not extend naturally to decimal multiplication (e.g., 0.3 × 0.4 cannot be meaningfully shown as repeated addition). Multiplication as inverse of division is unrelated to introducing decimal multiplication. Visual representation builds conceptual foundation.