Teaching Fractions: The Tootsie Roll Is the New Pie

theodp writes "Following up on a WSJ story, data visualization author Stephen Few illustrates why using lines or bars may be sweeter than pie when it comes to teaching kids fractions. 'Although the metaphor is easy to grasp (the slices add up to an entire pie),' explains Few, 'we know that visual perception does a poor job of comparing the sizes of slices, which is essential for learning to compare fractions. Learning that one-fifth is larger than one-sixth, which is counter-intuitive in the beginning, becomes further complicated when the individual slices of two pies — one divided into five slices and other into six — look roughly the same. Might it make more sense to use two lines divided into sections instead, which are quite easy to compare when placed near one another?' So, is the Tootsie Roll the new pie?"

Comments

First question from the kids

[Chrisq]

What the fuck is a tootsie roll?

Re: First question from the kids

[StikyPad]

The smartest Americans know better than to go into politics, which leaves the politicians we have.

Re:First question from the kids

[mcgrew]

WTF, an AC links to the urban dictionary rather than Webster's or wikipedia, and gets modded informative? It's offtopic, racist, and sexist; we're talking about the candy, not ghetto slang for a black woman's nipples,

No wonder slashdot is going for the new universally hated design, they're pandering to the army of idiots from 4chan and reddit who have invaded our beloved nerd site.

For the GP, Pictures and description of a tootsie roll here. They don't export the things? Wait a minute...

Tootsie Rolls have been introduced to Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Aruba, United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Panama, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Australia, and New Zealand.

So how in the hell can someone not know what a tootsie roll is? How in the hell can someone not google for a piece of information that shouldn't have to be explained in a /. summary?

I guess I should metamoderate...

Start a classroom war

[Anonymous Coward]

The pie chart is counter intuitive? Anyone who has ever fought over pizza slices knows very well that 1/5 is larger than 1/6, even kids.

Here's a simple classroom script to teach kids about fractions:

1) Buy 2 pizzas, slice one in 8 pieces, the other in 12 pieces.

2) Take 20 students in the classroom and tell them to choose a piece from any of the pizzas.

3) Watch as war ensues

Re:Start a classroom war

[SJHillman]

Anyone who fought over pizza knows that not all 1/8ths are created equal.

Re:Start a classroom war

[ohieaux]

When asked if he wanted his pizza cut into 4 or six slices: "You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six." - Yogi Berra

Something weird just happened ...

[MacTO]

... and somebody read a school textbook.

Seriously. Textbooks have used multiple representations of fractions for years, one of which is linear, because the education research has indicated that different children learn better with different representations of fractions.

Well, at least we now know how long it takes for education research to trickle into the classroom: decades.

Re:Something weird just happened ...

[Sarten-X]

Teachers also use word problems, discrete objects, and liquids, ideally delivered in quick enough succession that the student's brain catches the only constant: the concept of a fraction.

I think the problem isn't education research getting into the classroom - it's exactly the opposite. Teaching is an application-focused industry. When a teacher solves a particular educational problem, the technique stays within the school district, or perhaps makes a few rounds at educational conferences. The technique rarely gets any widespread attention, hardly any formal study, and is entirely forgotten within the decade... until an "educational researcher" stumbles across it and publishes a paper describing its effectiveness, which doesn't help because the school boards aren't interested in using new experimental techniques when their budgets are already in such jeopardy.

There is no Nobel Prize for education.

Only denominators with 9

[Anonymous Coward]

There's 9 sections. What happens when you want to teach 1/4s, 1/2s, 16ths ?

That's why I think a bottle of Scotch is the new pie!

Now children, let me drink two shots, what fraction of the bottle did I just drink?

Now children, assume what's left is the whole and I drink another three shots, what fraction is left?

Now children, write a 1,000 word essay on why whiskey is the best math tutor whle I take a little snap.

Re:No

[Mitchell314]

Uh, there *are* legit reasons for teaching the different classifications of fractions. For example, mixed fractions are the most intuitive representation of rational numbers. Improper fractions are the simplest way to write the number down, but not the most intuitive (for the given audience). Proper fractions are the remainder part of the mixed fraction, whereas the integers are taught in different lessons.

Math is hard, and teaching math is hard. The 'intuitive' or 'obvious' way to teach math isn't necessarily a good way.