Unitizing the Whole: Empowering Teachers With Research-Based Lesson Plans

• In Event: Roundtable Session 27
  In Roundtable Session: Roundtable: Research on Mathematics Teacher Knowledge and Practice

Abstract

Traditionally, fraction instruction in elementary school has focused solely on the interpretation of fractions as part-whole comparisons (Lamon, 2012, p. 32) at the expense of the development of more sophisticated fraction schemes. In this study, three unconventional research-based lessons on fractions were empirically tested in a fourth grade Texas public school classroom. Lesson plans were based on teaching methodology and content recommendations in Teaching Fractions and Ratios for Understanding: Essential Content Knowledge and Instructional Strategies for Teachers, 3rd Ed. (2012) by Susan Lamon. After a four-day interval, the students added fractions with uncommon denominators, a skill that exceeds the Texas State Standards and the Common Core State Standards. Broader implications for teachers integrating research-based lessons into the classroom are discussed.

Author

• Carolyn E Luna, The University of Texas - San Antonio