69传媒

Mathematics Video

Teaching Fractions? Try Visuals and Conversations, Not Tricks

By Olina Banerji, Jaclyn Borowski & Lauren Santucci 鈥 October 07, 2024 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

How students are introduced to fractions in early grades affects how they approach more complicated mathematics鈥攍ike algebra鈥攊n higher grades. It鈥檚 crucial that students learn how fractions behave differently than whole numbers and apply that logic to adding, subtracting, dividing, or multiplying fractions.

Building this conceptual base about fractions can be challenging because it鈥檚 easy for misconceptions to slip in, said Kevin Dykema, the immediate past president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and an 8th grade math teacher at Mattawan Middle School in Michigan.

鈥淪o many of those misconceptions have happened because we鈥檝e just told the students what to do, rather than trying to get them to understand what鈥檚 going on,鈥 Dykema said in a video interview with Education Week, recorded in August while he was still NCTM president.

In the video, Dykema details strategies to help educators dispel these misconceptions. He recommends the use of visuals, like fraction circles, graphs, or bars, to help students understand the relative size of one fraction compared to another. Dykema also suggests that 鈥渟tudent-to-student discourse鈥 can prod understanding or 鈥渁-ha鈥 moments during a fractions lesson.

For more research-based strategies on teaching fractions, as well as other math concepts, check out Education Week鈥檚 email mini-course, Teaching Math.

Related Tags:

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Mathematics Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Innovative Approaches to Math Engagement?
Answer 7 questions about effective strategies to engage students in math.
Mathematics Video Here's How All 69传媒 Can Learn to Enjoy Word Problems
Teachers should weave students' cultural context into word problems, says math expert David Dai.
1 min read
Mathematics Q&A Word Problems Get a Bad Rap in Math Class. Here鈥檚 How to Get Them Right
Kevin Dykema, a math expert, shares strategies for teachers to help students tackle word problems.
5 min read
Education Week Math Mini-Course, Week 4, Word Problems, 2700 x 1806
Egl臈 Plytnikait臈 for Education Week
Mathematics Can Kindergarten Math Lay the Foundation for Algebra? New Study Aims to Find Out
Teaching algebraic thinking skills early鈥攍ike generalizing, representing, and reasoning鈥攃an set students up for success, researchers say.
4 min read
Illustration of a young boy writing in a notepad with Algebra equations floating all around him
iStock/Getty