Diagrams and in general the use of visualization and manipulative material play an important role in mathematics teaching and learning processes. Although several authors warn that mathematics objects should be distinguished from their possible material representations, the relations between these objects are still conflictive both from an…

Fractions are an important concept used throughout advanced mathematical ideas and everyday life. Students need a solid understanding of fraction concepts, such as magnitude, equivalence, and operations. However, many students, including students with learning disabilities (LD) in mathematics, struggle with fractions. In this article, the use of…

This qualitative, multiple case study provided comprehensive descriptions of the conceptual difficulties and learning experiences of in-service teachers as they improved their ability to effectively model fraction division with pictorial diagrams. Video data were collected on eight teachers as they individually progressed through a professional…

Decimals and the related areas of ratio and proportion are recognised as one of the most challenging and complex areas of mathematics for young children to learn. In this study, four dynamic digital representations were used by Year 4 (9-10 years old) students in a set of video-recorded, individual task-based interviews to explore key concepts of…

In this paper, we have tried to clearly explain the meaning of fractions and operations with fractions. Also, we have tried to illustrate with some examples how to apply the rules of operations with fractional numbers, giving different practical techniques through different figures, visualization methods, and concretizing problems. The paper…

Through a search executed on Web of Science database with general keywords pertaining to 'teaching fractions' or 'understanding fractions' and 'representation', this study utilized PRISMA's procedure in analysing previously published articles. This review reveals seven articles in inclusion criteria and seventeenth articles in exclusion criteria…

Fostering conceptual understanding in mathematics classrooms is an important goal in mathematics education. To support this goal, we need to be able to diagnose and assess the extent to which students have conceptual understanding. In this study we employed a problem-posing task and a problem-solving task in order to diagnose and assess preservice…

In this research, a new test for understanding simple fractions has been developed for students at the beginning of lower secondary education. In many countries, mathematics education in Grade 5 builds on elementary students' developing concepts of fractions. Understanding fractions causes many difficulties for students, and research on mental…

This study used traditional and holographic video, along with eye-tracking technology, to examine how preservice teachers' physical act of looking is associated with how they attend to and assess students' fraction reasoning. Findings revealed that, although viewing of holograms may have influenced more focus on students' work area, there was…

Background: Within the ambit of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the use of technology-based tools within teaching and learning is advancing rapidly at education institutions globally, including the teaching and learning of mathematics. Learners and teachers have challenges with teaching and learning fractions in mathematics. A learner's…

To provide effective fractions instruction, teachers need deep understanding of fraction concepts (i.e., content knowledge) and skill in using visual representations of fractions to support student learning (i.e., pedagogical content knowledge); yet, research indicates that many pre- and in-service teachers lack knowledge in both areas. The…

In grade 3, students are expected to be able to represent a fraction on a number line by first identifying the interval from 0 to 1 as the unit and by partitioning the unit as needed on the basis of the denominator. This task extends these grade 3 fraction goals stated in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (NGA Center and CCSSO 2010)…

The understandings prospective mathematics teachers develop by focusing on quantities and quantitative relationships within real numbers have the potential for enhancing their future students' understanding of real numbers. In this article, we propose an instructional sequence that addresses quantitative relationships for the construction of real…

During lesson study teachers collaborate to design, teach, observe, and reflect on a lesson with the overarching goals of improving instruction and increasing student learning. This article examines how a 6th grade mathematics lesson study project challenged teachers' ideas and assumptions about their students' understanding of fraction concepts.…

Learning rational number concepts is acknowledged as an important task but many learners find it difficult to make sense of them. This paper reports on a case study of the learning in a short (nine-lesson) learning programme for Grade 8 learners in a Namibian school, which sought to use visual models (circle area, bar area and number line) to…