(Re)Conceptualize Fraction Concepts From Measurement With Dynamic Technology

• In Event: Exploring Student and Teacher Cognition in Mathematics Education

Abstract

This study explores students’ mathematical reasoning within a novel technological environment designed to support understanding of relationships between quantities and adjustable measuring units. In particular, 30 elementary students (grade 3 – 5) engaged in a series of measurement tasks in which they used a “Dynamic Ruler” that could be continuously dilated. Students’ reasoning patterns were characterized using four distinct levels, and analysis also attended to their various uses of the dynamic technology. Additionally, I articulated possible mechanisms for shifts in strategies across the tasks from both instrumental and semiotic approaches. My findings will contribute to education fields by providing a theory-driven, empirically-tested set of tasks that can be used to introduce fractions is an alternative way in elementary mathematics classrooms.

Author

• Sheunghyun Yeo, Daegu National University of Education