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Examining The Influence Of Number Line Fraction Task Characteristics On Student Work, Sharlee Hatch
Examining The Influence Of Number Line Fraction Task Characteristics On Student Work, Sharlee Hatch
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Research supports the claim that classrooms with teachers who respond to student thinking in the mathematics classroom will see greater student gains and student success (Lamon, 1996; Sleep & Boerst, 2012). The topic of fractions is both difficult to teach and learn, but has important implications on future success in mathematics and in life. This study set out to explore the ways in which student work is influenced by characteristics of number line fraction tasks. By examining task type, number line structure, and number choice this study shares the way these task characteristics influenced student strategies. The relationship between task …
First Graders’ Use Of The Bar Model To Communicate Their Understanding Of The Equal Sign, Amber L. Van Vooren
First Graders’ Use Of The Bar Model To Communicate Their Understanding Of The Equal Sign, Amber L. Van Vooren
Boise State University Theses and Dissertations
Students’ misunderstandings of the equal sign have been well documented in children as young as kindergarten. Misconceptions of the symbol (=) hinder students’ relational thinking and impede access to algebraic contexts. Symbolic equations (e.g., 4+2=__+3) have been widely used to test students’ understanding and communication of equivalence. The purpose of this study was to explore how first grade students communicate their understanding of equivalence when instruction involved using a bar model versus symbolic equations. It used a two-case study approach to compare an atypical instruction design (the bar model) to a traditional design (symbolic equations). Distinct patterns in communication and …