Concentration: Connecting Fractions, Decimals, & Percents

2000 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 324-328
Author(s):  
Elizabeth S. Sweeney ◽  
Robert J. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle Grades ◽  
Middle School Mathematics ◽  
School Mathematics ◽  
Innovative Method ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Way

Fractions, Decimals, and Percents are often included in discussions about middle school mathematics. Unfortunately, these discussions also include groans of dissatisfaction, stemming from the lack of success that teachers often have in teaching these concepts. Many students fail to see the relationship among fractions, decimals, and percents. As one student put it, a decimal is “a thing that makes numbers even more confusing,” whereas another characterized a percent as “the way teachers give you points.” The fact that these topics are typically taught in isolation is the main source of dissatisfaction. Often, the only connection mentioned by textbooks is a cursory discussion of conversions. This article describes one innovative method that can help middle-grades students become more flexible in their ability to represent fractions, decimals, and percents, an outcome recommended by the NCTM's Standards.

What is Standing in the Way of Middle School Mathematics Curriculum Reform?

1998 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Reys ◽  
Barbara Reys ◽  
David Barnes ◽  
John Beem ◽  
Ira Papick
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Mathematics Curriculum ◽  
Middle School Mathematics ◽  
School Mathematics ◽  
School Mathematics Curriculum ◽  
The Way

Soundoff: Geometry: A Remedy for the Malaise of Middle School Mathematics

1989 ◽  
Vol 82 (9) ◽  
pp. 678-680
Author(s):  
Alfred S. Posamentier
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle Grades ◽  
Mathematics Curriculum ◽  
Middle School Mathematics ◽  
School Mathematics ◽  
School Level ◽  
Mathematics Educators ◽  
Arithmetic Teaching ◽  
Middle School Level

Many mathematics educators perceive that the weakest part of the precollege mathematics curriculum is at the middle school level, more specifically, the years immediately preceding the study of algebra. It seems that in the middle grades the development of mathematics has been put into a “holding pattern.” A quick glance at the curriculum for seventh and eighth grades—or in some cases sixth and seventh gradesshows that much arithmetic is still being taught. Haven't we, or shouldn't we have, completed teaching arithmetic in the previous five or six years? Indeed, how much arithmetic teaching do we need to do in an age of ever-improving calculators (Heid 1988)? Very often students greet a unit in these grades with the now famous comment, “Oh, I had this already.” “Sure,” thinks the teacher, “you may have had it, but have you learned it?” It is clear to many educators that these middle grades are key to turning a student “on” to or “off” from mathematics.

Developing Algebraic Thinking through Pattern Exploration

2006 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 428-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lesley Lee ◽  
Viktor Freiman
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Middle Grades ◽  
Algebraic Thinking ◽  
School Mathematics ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
Algebraic Language ◽  
Principles And Standards ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Repeating Patterns

Pattern exploration is A pivotal activity in all mathematics, indeed in all the scientific disciplines. Children who are attempting to express perceived patterns mathematically are in an excellent position to learn algebraic language and engage in algebraic activity. Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM 2000) acknowledges the relationship of pattern exploration and algebraic thinking by placing pattern work within the Algebra strand. Yet one can undertake considerable pattern exploration without engaging students in any algebraic thinking whatsoever and teachers may, themselves, be unclear about how patterns can be used to further algebraic thinking. Work with repeating patterns in the early grades, or teaching patterns as a “topic” in the middle grades, may not foster the development of algebraic thinking in students. In this article, we will address this question: How can teachers exploit pattern work to further algebraic thinking and introduce the formal study of algebra in middle school?

Sharing Teaching Ideas: Improving Students' Understanding of Geometric Definitions

1991 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 192-195
Author(s):  
Jim Hersberger ◽  
Gary Talsma ◽  
James P. Herrmann
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Mathematics Curriculum ◽  
Middle School Mathematics ◽  
School Mathematics ◽  
Careful Attention ◽  
Class Time ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Teaching Ideas ◽  
The Way

As middle school mathematics teachers work to restructure a mathematics curriculum that now contains little in the way of new ideas or concepts (Flanders 1987), careful attention must be paid to pedagogical ideas that enhance and facilitate the attainment of newly developed curricular goals. In particular, even as a greater amount of class time is spent considering geometric topics, care must be taken to employ activities that help students attain higher levels of geometric understanding (Crowley 1987; Talsma and Hersberger 1990).

Learning from Voices in Classrooms

2006 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 156-160
Author(s):  
Signe E. Kastberg ◽  
Wendy Otoupal-Hylton
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Mathematics Teacher ◽  
Middle Grades ◽  
Middle School Mathematics ◽  
School Mathematics ◽  
Second Career ◽  
Working Together

Wendy and i met and began working together in hopes of finding some consistency in what we each saw as our chaotic lives. Wendy began her second career in 2002 as a middle-grades teacher. She was responsible for teaching six middle school mathematics classes. Each class of twenty-two to twentyeight students consisted of a mixture of grades 6, 7, and 8 students of varying abilities. Students entering grade 6 had Wendy as their mathematics teacher for three years. She quickly found traditional texts unsatisfying for her students and sought alternative curricula.

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