Fractions: why are fractions so hard?

Claire Morse and Clare Tope University of Winchester | View as single page | Feedback/Impact
Fractions: why are fractions so hard?
Research Evidence
Core knowledge for teachers
Difficulties: Diagnosing barriers
Pedagogy: tasks supporting a deeper understanding
Further resources
Leading researchers
4 aspects of fractions
Common errors and misconceptions
Carefully chosen examples showing conceptual and procedural variation
Maths Anxiety is Curable
Morse and Clark
Early ideas and experiences about fractions that are based on division situations
What children find hard
Use of visual representation
Nrich- Cambridge
Multiplicative thinking
Mastery Pedagogy
Maths Sticks
Resources for visual representation
Nunes
Editors' comments
Strength of Evidence
Transferability
Areas for further research
Online community

Areas for further research

There is a lot of duplication in research in fractions but there are gaps.1) Carpenter’s research on children’s intuitive sense of division in the context of fractions has not yet been tested and integrated into practice in the UK. 

2) Fractions are highly visual, how to we get children to move from visual representation to working and thinking symbolically 

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