Sarah Baker S00118838

Tutorial: Tuesday 5PM Vince

Gaining insights from research for classroom planning
[Sarah Baker]

FRACTIONS
Introduction:
The mathematical focus for this paper is fractions. The reason I have chosen to research
fractions is because literature and personal experience suggest that fractions are complex to
teach and to learn (Clarke, Roche & Mitchell, 2008, p. 373). Lee, Brown & Orrill (2011)
states that teachers must understand their content, have strategies for working with students
and content, and understand the connections among ideas (p. 199). For this reason I would
like to expand my pedagogical content knowledge in the area of fractions as I feel that it
would be beneficially to me so that I can teach fractions effectively.
(101 words)

Literature review:
Fractions can be difficult to teach and to learn, however this should not be overlooked in the
classroom (Clarke et al., 2008, p. 373). Through learning fractions students develop an
understanding of proportional reasoning which will help when further study of mathematics
arises, such as algebra and probability (Clarke et al., 2008, p. 373). For many students
fractions are an abstract concept, related only to symbols. Therefore, when teaching fractions,
students need a variety of representations so that they can provide context to what they are
learning (Lee, Brown & Orrill, 2011, p. 198).

Typically teachers define fractions as, the denominator tells you the size of the whole and the
numerator tells you how many parts you are using. This explanation is okay for fractions
between 0 and 1 however, when looking at improper fractions students then find it difficult to
understand. Clarke et al., (2008) state that a better explanation would be in a fraction a/b, b
is the name or size of the part and a is the number of parts of that name or size (p. 375). For
example if we had the fraction 9/8, the 8 tells us the name or the size of the parts (eighths)
and the 9 tells us that we have 9 of those eighths (or 1 1/8).

Sarah Baker S00118838
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Most commonly it is difficult to teach and learn fractions because of the many constructs,
models and coding conventions (Kilpatrick, Swafford & Findell as cited in Clarke et al.,
2008, p. 373). Teachers mostly use the part-whole construct leaving children to ignore,
misuse or misunderstand the other constructs. Van de Walle, Karp & Bay-Williams (2010)
states that for students to really understand fractions, they must experience fractions across
many constructs... (p. 286). Teachers must provide opportunities for children to explore and
solve using the different fraction constructs. These include, part-whole, measure, quotient
(division), operator and ratio (Clarke, Roche & Mitchell, 2008, p. 374).

When learning about fractions it is important to think mathematically especially when it
comes to partitioning. Equal partitioning should be a main focus in fractions as it allows
students to think proportionally (Yoshida & Sawano, 2002, pp. 5).Benchmarking is also
another strategy that should be encouraged when thinking mathematically about fractions, as
it encourages students to make estimations and think rationally about where a number would
fit on a number line (Clarke et al., 2008, p. 376).

There are many representations (models)/strategies that can be used when looking at
fractions. Some of these include paper folding, Cuisenaire rods, fraction bars, number lines,
laminated shapes, computer games and area, length and set models (Clarke et al., 2008, p.
375). It is important for the teacher to provide a range of models for students to engage with
so that they become flexible in moving between different constructs and can provide context
to each model (Clarke et al., 2008, p. 375).

Many misconceptions occur when learning about fractions. Many of these occur when using
whole number thinking when working with fractions. One misconception that often occurs is
that if you multiply you will get a larger number and if you divide you will get a smaller
number. This is true when dealing with whole numbers, however with fractions it can be the
opposite (Clarke et al., 2008, p. 374). There are many other misconceptions related to whole
number thinking such as the numerator and denominator are two separate values, 1/5 is
smaller than 1/10 because 5 is smaller than 10 etc. (Van de Walle et al. 2010, p. 288).

It is interesting that Van de Walle et al., (2010) starts that ...the circle model is particularly
effective in illustrating the part-whole relationship (p. 287). Other literature suggests that
when learning about fractions you should not use the circle model because it is very hard for
Sarah Baker S00118838
Tutorial: Tuesday 5PM Vince

student to equally partition. There is very little flexibility in dividing the area of a circle into
equal parts... unlike rectangles, it cannot be used to model fraction multiplication (Wu,
2011, p. 2). So what do Van de Walle et al. mean? I believe that Van de Walle et al. is saying
that the circle model is easy for children to relate to when partitioning because they are
exposed to pizzas as common examples. As teachers we need to demonstrate how the circle
model can be difficult to use especially when looking at fifths and multiplication etc.

It is more enjoyable for students to understand the mathematical ideas and relationships
rather than just memorizing formulas and rules (Braunfeld & Wolfe, 1966, p. 647). That is
why providing students with various representations rather than abstract and generalisation is
so important as it makes mathematics engaging and provides context for what they are doing
(Lee, Brown & Orrill, 2011, p. 198).
(739 words)

Critique of curriculum:
Equivalent fractions are two ways of describing the same amount by using different sized
fractional parts (Van de Walle et al., 2010, p. 286). When teaching and learning about
fractions, understanding equivalent fractions is vital (Van de Walle, 2010, p. 286). AusVELS
only introduces fraction equivalence in level 4 however; current literature suggests that the
knowledge and understanding of fraction equivalence is an enabler in learning about
fractions. Wong (2010) explains that understanding equivalent fractions is more than just
merely learning rules to multiply and divide the numerator or denominator of a fraction by
the same number (p. 634). Rather, is it about understanding why and being able to use that
knowledge to assist in other learning about fractions.

There is nowhere in AusVELS that says anything about the standard of improper fractions.
Although AusVELS introduces mixed fractions to students in level 4. Gunther (1980)
suggests that there is a considerable amount of students that cannot recognise that an
improper fraction is in actual fact a mixed number equivalent (p. 247). This suggestion
should be taken into consideration and mixed fractions and improper should be taught
explicitly from the early years. Not having a standard for improper fraction inhibits students
learning as teachers often do not teach this until the later years.

Sarah Baker S00118838
Tutorial: Tuesday 5PM Vince

Cramer, Behr, Lesh and Harel (as cited in Clarke et al., 2008) claimed that ratio, measure
and operator constructs are not given nearly enough emphasis in the school curriculum (p.
374). This should be taken into consideration when teachers are planning fraction lessons as
nowhere in AusVELS does it outline that these constructs should be focussed on.
(269 words)

Conclusion: 80 words
In this paper, I have outlined the key knowledge that teachers and students need to attain
when teaching and learning about fractions. These include, knowledge about the numerator
and denominator, a variety of representation and the five constructs of fractions. The different
strategies to teach fractions have been made clear, through using different models, as well as
the various ways of thinking mathematically by benchmarking and equal partitioning. A few
misconceptions have been outlined, that teachers need to be aware of, including whole
number thinking when multiplying fractions and whole number thinking when reading
fractions. Teaching fractions is valuable for students as it helps them with future mathematics
learning.
(109 words)
















Sarah Baker S00118838
Tutorial: Tuesday 5PM Vince

References:
Braunfeld, P., & Wolfe, M. (1966). The arithmetic teacher. National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics, 13(8), 647-655. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41187219
Clarke, D., Roche, A., & Mitchell, A. (2008). Ten practical tips for making fractions come
alive and make sense. Mathematics teaching in the middle school, 13(7), 372-380.
Retrieved from http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/166807900
Forrester, T., & Chinnappan, M. (2010). The predominance of procedural knowledge in
fractions. Shaping the future of mathematics education, 1,185-192. Retrieved from
http://www.merga.net.au/documents/MERGA33_Forrester&Chinnappan.pdf
Gunther, M. H. (1980). Improper fractions. The Mathematics Teacher, 73(4). 247. Retrieved
from http://www.jstor.org/stable/27961978
Lee, S. J., Brown, R. E., & Orrill, C, H. (2011). Mathematics teachers' reasoning about
fractions and decimals using drawn representations. Mathematical Thinking and
Learning, 13(3), 198-220. doi: 10.1080/10986065.2011.564993
Wong, M. (2010). Equivalent Fractions: Developing a Pathway of Students' Acquisition of
Knowledge and Understanding. Mathematics Education Research Group of
Australasia. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED521016
Wu, H. (2011). Teaching Fractions According to the Common Core Standards. Japanese
Psychological Research. Retrieved from http://math.berkeley.edu/~wu/CCSS-
Fractions.pdf
Van de Walle, J. A., Karp, K. S., Bay-Williams, J. M (2010). Elementary and middle school
mathematics: Teaching Developmentally (7th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Yoshida, H., & Sawano, K. (2002). Overcoming cognitive obstacles in learning fractions:
Equal-partitioning and equal-whole. Japanese Psychological Research, 44(4), 183-
195. Doi: 10.1111/1468-5884.00021