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Probing Whole Number Dominance With Fractions, Max Stephens, Catherine Pearn
Probing Whole Number Dominance With Fractions, Max Stephens, Catherine Pearn
Catherine Pearn
Children's whole number schemes can interfere with their efforts to learn fractions. To what extent do these schemes persist for secondary school students? This paper reports on the development and piloting of an interview designed to identify and probe inappropriate whole number strategies for working with fractions among secondary students. The interview showed that these strategies are still prevalent among Year 8 students. Among others who use appropriate multiplicative strategies the interview showed that some of these are still not confident in challenging instances of inappropriate whole number thinking. [Author abstract]
Fractions : Using The Measurement Model To Develop Understanding, Catherine Pearn
Fractions : Using The Measurement Model To Develop Understanding, Catherine Pearn
Catherine Pearn
Several researchers have noted how children's whole number schemes can interfere with their efforts to learn fractions. An Australian study found that children who were successful with the solution of the rational number tasks exhibited greater whole number knowledge and more flexible solution strategies. Behr and Post (1988) indicated that children needed to be competent in the four operations of whole numbers, along with an understanding of measurement, to enable them to understand rational numbers. The workshop session described in this paper was a 'hands-on' session that focused on the use of paper folding, fraction walls and number lines to …