Keeping Fractions and Ratios Fun and Feasible

When you were a student, did you dread math problems that involved fractions? Did you find math operations with fractions frustrating or intimidating? If you did, you certainly were not alone! This week’s math class demonstrated how students should not need to fear fractions and how we as teachers can helps our students to see fractions and ratios as fun and doable!

Incorporating Stories and Manipulatives

In class, we heard a story about a man named Mr. Tan whose most treasured tile shattered into seven pieces. Mr. Tan was able to piece the tile back together, and in the process discovered many different interesting shapes. At the end of the story, each of us was given seven tangram pieces which represented Mr. Tan’s tile. We were given the opportunity to explore different shapes using the tiles and to see whether we could piece the square tile back together like Mr. Tan did. We were able to combine different tangram pieces and determine their relation to the whole tangram square.

Exploring different shapes.Olij, B. © 2016

Recreating Mr. Tan's tile.
Olij, B. ©2016

I love the idea of teaching math lessons through the use of stories and corresponding manipulatives! Often times students have the misconception that math is boring or distant from their own daily lives. Stories encourage students to use their imaginations and explore the world of math. As a student, my highlight of the day was when the teacher read me a story. In my placement, I see that my students have the same joy and excitement when listening to stories. Why not tap into this love of literature and integrate stories and math to help bring math to life for our students?

Introducing a “New” Way to Divide Fractions

The moment that stands out to me most from this week’s class was when we looked at an alternative way to divide fractions. The traditional method of dividing fractions, the method that I learned as a student in elementary school, is to multiply the first fraction by the reciprocal of the second fraction. While I was able to use this method as a student, I distinctly remember that I never understood why we had to invert the second fraction and change the division sign to a multiplication sign. I simply did what I was taught without questioning the logic behind it.

This week, I was truly amazed to learn that students do not have to use the algorithm of inverting and multiplying in order to divide fractions. A simpler, more logical method is to simply divide the first nominator by the second nominator and to divide the first denominator by the second denominator:

This method follows the typical rules for division and is therefore more natural and far less intimidating for students. I cannot wait to show this alternative method to my students! 

Using Relatable Examples

This week I was also reminded of the importance of using relevant examples that students will find engaging. For example, we started off the class working through a math problem that incorporated the game “Red Light Green Light.” The resource Paying Attention to Proportional Reasoning provides examples of various math problems that involve dogs, bicycles, and baseball cards. These examples demonstrate that, as a teacher, it is important that I tune into the interests and experiences of my students and incorporate them into the explanations and word problems that I develop. This will help my students to see math as fun, engaging, and applicable to their daily lives.