Fractions are one of the key indicators of success in mathematics. Being able to manipulate and work with fractions is essential to success in all fields of mathematics and science including medicine, engineering, accountancy, chemistry and so on.
For example, working out solutions for just about all scientific formulae requires an ability to work with fractions. Ratios are also just fractions, and all unit conversions require knowledge of ratios.
In spite of their importance, many people never feel they have mastered fractions. If you survey a random group of adults and ask them what area of math they had the most difficulties with most of them will reply "fractions". Most of the remainder will answer "algebra".
So what is the best approach to teaching fractions to children, to make them easier to grasp? Having taught fractions to junior high school children for over ten years I have tried many methods. The most successful method I have found so far is to treat them simply as numbers from the very first lesson.
Fractions are presented to children as pizzas, pies, cakes, chocolate bars, herds of sheep; in fact, they are presented as just about anything except numbers. The skill of identifying part of a whole and writing it in fraction form that is learned by the pizza method is not of much use in other areas and impedes learning of more advanced concepts such as multiplication and division.
When fractions are treated as numbers they can be presented on a number line. This allows students to see the actual value of a fraction relative to other numbers. That makes converting mixed numbers to improper fractions and vice versa an easy task. It also allows the idea that a fraction such as one quarter has a real value of between zero and one.
When we treat fractions as numbers they become easier to teach and they are less mysterious to students. Five and a third may be difficult to grasp, but when it's made clear that it means "five and a bit" suddenly the student has a reference point, making the whole concept easier to grasp. When students can see where fractions fit in the scheme of numbers they become easier to learn, which then improves learning outcomes for the topic.
For example, working out solutions for just about all scientific formulae requires an ability to work with fractions. Ratios are also just fractions, and all unit conversions require knowledge of ratios.
In spite of their importance, many people never feel they have mastered fractions. If you survey a random group of adults and ask them what area of math they had the most difficulties with most of them will reply "fractions". Most of the remainder will answer "algebra".
So what is the best approach to teaching fractions to children, to make them easier to grasp? Having taught fractions to junior high school children for over ten years I have tried many methods. The most successful method I have found so far is to treat them simply as numbers from the very first lesson.
Fractions are presented to children as pizzas, pies, cakes, chocolate bars, herds of sheep; in fact, they are presented as just about anything except numbers. The skill of identifying part of a whole and writing it in fraction form that is learned by the pizza method is not of much use in other areas and impedes learning of more advanced concepts such as multiplication and division.
When fractions are treated as numbers they can be presented on a number line. This allows students to see the actual value of a fraction relative to other numbers. That makes converting mixed numbers to improper fractions and vice versa an easy task. It also allows the idea that a fraction such as one quarter has a real value of between zero and one.
When we treat fractions as numbers they become easier to teach and they are less mysterious to students. Five and a third may be difficult to grasp, but when it's made clear that it means "five and a bit" suddenly the student has a reference point, making the whole concept easier to grasp. When students can see where fractions fit in the scheme of numbers they become easier to learn, which then improves learning outcomes for the topic.
About the Author:
For free teaching tips, video tutorials, printable number lines and worksheets and more, visit the fractions section of my website, www.green-planet-solar-energy.com.
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