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What Is a Fraction? Developing Fraction Understanding in Prospective Elementary Teachers
Author(s) -
Reeder Stacy,
Utley Juliana
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
school science and mathematics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.135
H-Index - 2
eISSN - 1949-8594
pISSN - 0036-6803
DOI - 10.1111/ssm.12248
Subject(s) - mathematics education , fraction (chemistry) , construct (python library) , elementary mathematics , school teachers , psychology , teacher education , primary education , pedagogy , computer science , chemistry , organic chemistry , programming language
Classroom teachers need a well‐developed deep understanding of fractions and pedagogic practices so they can provide meaningful experiences for students to explore and construct ideas about fractions. This study sought to examine prospective elementary teachers' understandings of fraction by focusing specifically on their use of fractions meanings and interpretations. Results indicated that prospective elementary teachers bring with them to their final methods course a limited understanding of fractions and that experiences in methods courses resulted only in minor improvement of those limited understandings. The limited part‐whole understanding of fractions that prospective elementary teachers entered the course with was resilient. The implications of this study suggest a need for prospective elementary teachers to continue to develop their conceptual understanding of fractions and for changes to the content and instructional strategies of mathematics content courses designed for prospective elementary teachers.