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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?"
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
... 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.
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.
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.
I read TFA and all I got was this lousy cookie
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...
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...
Free Martian Whores!