ERIC Number: ED589552
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Teaching Fractions for Understanding: Addressing Interrelated Concepts
Getenet, Seyum; Callingham, Rosemary
Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA) (40th, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2017)
The concept of fractions is perceived as one of the most difficult areas in school mathematics to learn and teach. The most frequently mentioned factors contributing to the complexity is fractions having five interrelated constructs: part-whole, ratio, operator, quotient, and measure. In this study, we used this framework to investigate the practices in a New Zealand Year 7 classroom. Video recordings and transcribed audio-recordings were analysed through the lenses of the five integrated concepts of fraction. The findings showed that students often initiated unexpected uses of fractions as quotient and as operator, drawing on part-whole understanding when solving fraction problems.
Descriptors: Fractions, Mathematics Instruction, Foreign Countries, Mathematical Concepts, Concept Formation, Problem Solving, Intermediate Grades
Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. GPO Box 2747, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia. Tel: +61-8-8363-0288; Fax: +61-8-8362-9288; e-mail: sales@merga.net.au; Web site: http://www.merga.net.au/
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Intermediate Grades
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A