Why Knowing How To Do Fractions Is Important.

 

I have a student who wanted to do his fraction worksheet with a calculator.  He didn't see any reason to know how to do the problems if he could use his calculator and get the right answer.  He even showed me a website that shows the steps but he was unwilling to copy the steps down since he'd just looked at them.  He felt the answer was the only important part of the problem.  I explained that showing his work was the way to communicate to me, how he solved the problem from start to finish.  So today, I am looking at why it is important for students to learn to do fractions.

It turns out that fractions are the most frequently found numbers used in mathematics.  In addition, fractions provide an important foundation for when students study more advanced mathematics. If you teach high school mathematics, you know that students have difficulty when they have to solve an algebraic problem containing fractions.  Many students never get a solid foundation in working with fractions.

In addition, learning fractions is really a student's first introduction into the abstraction that exists in mathematics. In other words, Fractions provide the best foundation for algebra in later years.  Furthermore, developing a number sense about fractions, helps us better understand division, and really small numbers or really large numbers broken into manageable sizes. Fractions also help students understand numbers and their interactions.

Students need to develop an understanding of fractions so they see why you have to change fractions with unlike denominators into fractions with the same denominator, how to compare fractions so we know which one is bigger or smaller, and so many other things.  This is important because we use fractions in cooking, in construction, with tools, and so much more.  If students cannot operate in fractions, how do they know that 7/16 is smaller than 5/8 when looking for a screw?

This is why many of the current instructional materials include lessons with number lines, or models.  It helps them "see" or picture fractions better which leads to a better understanding of the concepts.  Furthermore, number lines allow students to compare fractions in a way that is not possible using the traditional pie charts.  

There have been studies done to show how important it is for students to gain a good fundamental knowledge of fractions.  One study shows that how well a student understands fractions in fifth grade is a good predictor on how well they will do later in mathematic courses.  Furthermore, it is important for students to intuitively understand the concepts rather than just memorizing so they have a connection between things.

Due to COVID, many students missed out on learning fractions when they should have.  For this student, I've gone back to the basics, finding material that he can use that has number lines, models, and walks him step by step through things.  I'm also going to assign him some BrainPop materials to help him with his learning.  

I'm sure we all have students who are in this same spot.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.