Launching Big Ideas about Fractions
A teacher who loves the comic book series, The Mysterious I.D. Vide and Newton’s Nemesis, recently asked me “How would should I use it?” Up until now, I’ve been hesitant to prescribe a “best practice”…
Half a Blog
A Resource Devoted to Fraction Division!
This morning my mother and I spent some time looking at old 5th and 6th grade textbooks at the Columbus Regional Math Collaborative to see how fraction multiplication and division has been taught over the…
Motivational Cards for Fraction Division
I recently stumbled across a great and easy fraction division lesson in the International Journal on Emerging Mathematics Education. In Indonesia, all 6th grade students take a national exam, so these creative teachers printed motivational…
A Recipe for Fractions
If you cook, you use fractions. So why not use cooking to teach fractions? During the holidays my favorite recipes feed a small army, and when I'm cutting them in half, it always reminds me…
Diversity, Comic Books & Math
Thanks to Google's search image that reminded me that this is not just another day off, I was inspired to read about diversity and comic books to celebrate Dr. King's birthday. So with a warm…
Teacher Gifts for Fraction Lovers!
As I was doing my holiday shopping, I couldn't help but be a little self-indulgent and look around for cool books and classroom tools for teaching fractions. As a former teacher, I would often wish…
Multiplication: Lost in Translation?
A recent task I developed utilized visual models of multiplication involving a unit fraction. Can you match the models with the expressions ⅓ x 12, ⅓ of 12 or 12 x ⅓? Who would have…
Superpowers for Math Lessons: Writing
Researchers in mathematics education have long hypothesized that requiring students to write about mathematics is extremely powerful. Writing-to-learn can add to a student’s understanding, deepen their ability to justify their answers, and improve metacognition. But…
Keep, Change, Flip: Are Algorithms our Frenemies?
In the new era of the Core Curriculum and reformed mathematics teaching, the big goals are to have our children understand mathematics deeply and solve problems creatively, rather than just memorize a bunch of meaningless…
Why is Fraction Arithmetic So Hard AND Important!
I recently stumbled upon the work of Robert Siegler, a professor of cognitive psychology at Carnegie Mellon University who is working with several colleagues to determine why fraction arithmetic is so difficult. Of course, all…