Number line as a conceptual and didactical resource for teaching fractions using applets

Carlos Valenzuela García , Olimpia Figueras (1) , David Arnau (2) , Juan Gutiérrez-Soto (3)

1 Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN
2 University of Valencia
3 GEPI - Galaxies, Etoiles, Physique, Instrumentation

Results of secondary school students' performance who participated in a pilot study of a general research project whose purpose is to contribute to building better mental objects for fractions are described. A Local Theoretical Model for fractions is used as a theoretical and methodological framework to design and develop a seven stages teaching sequence based on the use of applets created with GeoGebra and the number line as a conceptual and didactical resource. In this paper details of the design, development, and results of the first two stages are given. Results show children's preferences to represent fractions on the unit segment, that is, they think of proper fractions. A majority of the participants paid more attention to the graphical aspects of the applet.

Keywords: Fractions; local theoretical models; applets for teaching; number line; improper fractions

Domains: Mathematics [math]; Humanities and Social Sciences

Carlos Valenzuela García, Olimpia Figueras, David Arnau, Juan Gutiérrez-Soto. Number line as a conceptual and didactical resource for teaching fractions using applets. CERME 10, Feb 2017, Dublin, Ireland. ⟨hal-01873458⟩