New Insights & Implications

After discussing fractions the last couple of class sessions, the way I would go about teaching the students about fractions has changed quite a bit. I was taught how to work with fractions by using rules, such as multiplying by 2 to find an equivalent fraction, but there are different ways that let the students explore other possiblities without using these rules. I don't recall using manipulatives a whole lot when I was in elementary school, although I'm sure they were used at some point, so working with them in class was kind of a eye opening experience. Getting to work with them and actually seeing how you can use them to find common denominators really helps the student understand what they are doing. For instance, a red one (1/2) equals three green ones (3/6). It shows them visually what they are doing when they have to add or subtract fractions, which hopefully will lead to them being able to eventually solve the problems with little or no effort and have it come naturally.