Article Review
Rational Number, Ratio, and Proportion
 |
| from cehd.umn.edu/rationalnumberproject |
From: Behr, M., Thomas, P., Harel, G., &
Lesh, R. (1992). Rational number, ratio,
and proportion. New York, NY: Macmillan publishing.
The authors
of this paper acknowledged the fact that during the mathematical development of
children, the greatest obstacle is experienced in learning the rational numbers
(Behr, Thomas, Harel, & Lesh, 1992).
They also point out that despite
various researches having been done to study the children’s development of
knowledge in rational numbers, there is no clear agreement about the ways of
facilitating this learning process.
However,
they suggested that the best way to comprehend rational numbers fully is to get
exposure to various constructs. Rational number constructs are varied and may
be fractions of either whole numbers or decimals. The authors suggest that this
could be done through imparting this knowledge to children by making them
participate in activities that involve comparing quantities of items both by
feel and by sight.
The
knowledge on rational numbers also shows the importance of understanding
fractions and their equivalences. Knowledge in fractions gives an understanding
of the size of the number. Research also suggests that two fractions can be
compared to investigate whether they are equal or not, basing on their transformability.
The
results show that the early attempts to impart mathematical knowledge to
children involve the stressing of a higher order of thinking and processing of
information. This would help the child make the necessary translations. The
authors stressed on the importance of encouraging the children to go beyond the
single incident and to reflect more about the general meaning. They are to be
encouraged to think about their own thinking. This would improve their
reasoning capabilities.
The
teachers, on the other hand, should also be able to identify their thoughts and
make a description about their teaching methods that should involve various
levels. Teachers should not only teach content but also transmit attitudes,
culture and an understanding of mathematics.
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