WSJ: New approaches to teaching fractions

Students at Propel Montour charter school in Kennedy Township, Pa., play the fraction game Battleship Numberline. Michael Henninger for The Wall Street Journal
Students at Propel Montour charter school in Kennedy Township, Pa., play the fraction game Battleship Numberline. Michael Henninger for The Wall Street Journal

New Approaches to Teaching Fractions:
The government is funding new research on more effective ways to teach the often-dreaded subject

WSJ.com - National tests show nearly half of eighth-graders aren't able to put three fractions in order by size. Many students cruise along just fine in math until fourth grade or so. Then, they hit a wall—fractions.

The wall is about to get taller. With mastery of the topic seen as a crucial stepping stone to progressing in math, federal standards are stepping up emphasis on fractions starting in third grade. National tests show nearly half of eighth-graders aren't able to put three fractions in order by size.

The government is funding new research on more effective ways to teach the often-dreaded subject. The new methods preface early rote learning of complicated fraction rules with more work on building a conceptual understanding of fractions. And instead of traditional pie charts, they rely more on tools like number lines, paper models and games putting fractions in context.

Ryan Spence, a technology-integration specialist for Propel Schools, a charter-school operator based in Pittsburgh, says fourth-graders can learn the basics quickly by playing a computer game with number lines, Battleship Numberline offered by BrainPOP, a New York City firm that creates animated educational resources. Kids use a fraction clue to try to bomb a battleship hidden between 0 and 1 along a number line, winning points for accuracy. After an hour playing the game in two classes he taught, all 40 students posted perfect scores on a test comparing fractions, says Mr. Spence, who taught fourth grade before taking his current job incorporating technology in the classroom.

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