Emily Greenberg - 26005123

DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT OF MATHEMATICAL COMPETENCY

INTRODUCTION
Fractions and decimals, as scary as they may seem, contribute to a substantial chunk of
subject material within middle primary to upper primary years. Hence, it is crucial that they
are taught correctly and with confidence to abolish this scary stigma associated with those
dreaded fractions and decimals (Clarke, & Roche, 2010). To grasp a hold on the common
understandings and misconceptions associated with this mathematical topic, I have conducted
a fractions and decimals interview on one grade five student, Coco. Coco is an extremely
bright student from Valkstone Primary School. She works at a Year 6 maths level and is
confident in her mathematical ability. I have structured this essay to highlight the aspects of
fractions and decimals of which Coco needs to devote more attention, and the areas which are
being taught and comprehended well. To conclude, I have provided a learning activity, which,
with time, will assist Coco in consolidating the weaker aspects of her understanding of
fractions and decimals. It should be noted also, that an Appendix of Cocos responses is
referred to many times throughout this essay and is attached at the completion of the
assignment.

POSITIVES FROM THE INTERVIEW

The following paragraph focuses on Cocos understanding of specific concepts within the
interview. Commencing the interview with confidence (as displayed through her answers), it
became apparent that Coco has a good understanding of how to read a fraction from a pie
chart and from a visual image (refer to question 1 and 3 in Appendix). This understanding was
further consolidated in question 4 when Coco informed me that to develop responses to
fraction applications in her head, she tends to think of an image, such as a pizza, and then
imagines dividing the pizza up into fraction segments. This reveals that Coco is a visual
learner who uses imagery to assist her in her thought processes. There was a reliance on
visual thinking throughout most of the interview, which became evident to me when Coco
would ask if she could use a piece of paper to draw on to assist her in developing an answer.
When encouraged to try to think of an answer in her head without the help of a visual
stimulus, she would lose confidence and as a result provide an incorrect response. Another
concept of which Coco had a fantastic understanding of was converting fractions to decimals
to percentages (as seen also in question 12 and 14 refer to Appendix). Furthermore I was
enlightened by the fact that Coco was very knowledgeable with regards to fraction size,
comprehending which fractions are larger than others. She did not seem fooled by the
common misconception that the larger the numerator or denominator, the larger the number.
Ultimately, it can be gathered from Cocos successful responses that she is a visual thinker
and these thought patterns assist her in developing solutions to mathematical problems.

NEGATIVES FROM THE INTERVIEW

The following paragraphs will focus on Cocos misunderstanding and regular misconceptions
amongst her responses. Firstly, it was apparent from early on in the interview that Coco tends
to rush her answers without giving them much thought. However, I strongly believe that if I
had had the opportunity to intervene and ask her to rethink her incorrect answers, she would
have re-evaluated and provided me with more correct answers. This is evident as Coco

EDF1161 Assignment 1: Fractions and Decimals Interview

Emily Greenberg - 26005123

changed her answers for part 2a and 2b three times before attaining the correct answer for
which she then settled.
One of the key misconceptions I noticed in the interview was Cocos inability to give me two
fractions that when added together are close to 2 but not equal to 2. Her answer of 3/7 + 1/5
and explanation that subtracting the numerators and the denominators both equal 2 portrays
that Coco has overgeneralised her knowledge of whole numbers and applied this into
fractional numbers.
The second misconception was found in question 11 where Coco struggled to provide me
with a decimal between 0.1 and 0.11. Coco sat and had a long think before answering 0.111
proving that, unlike her understanding of fraction sizes, she does not hold the same
understanding for decimals. Additionally, Coco passed 11b with an inability to realise that
the potential number of decimals between 0.1 and 0.11 is so large that an estimated figure
cannot even be placed here. This decimal size and order confusion is portrayed at other times
throughout the interview (refer to question 13 Appendix).
Another challenging question for Coco was question 16. Although this question only asked
for simple multiplication and division of decimals, Coco did not understand that the answer
can easily be formulated by converting the decimals to fractions first (a skill of which Coco
shows a good understanding of). Coco eventually began to make up her own formula to
determine an answer for question 16, highlighting an illogical procedural understanding of the
task. This illogical procedural understanding was displayed again in Cocos answers for
question 17 and 19. Question 17 is a classic example where we can see Coco making up an
equation to formulate an answer, yet completely missing the overall purpose of the question
(refer to Appendix). Moreover, question 19b shows that Cocos workings are correct up until
a certain point. She then chooses to divide 40 by 5, which is an unnecessary step before
multiplying the 8 by 3, giving an incorrect answer.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
It can be summarised that the fractions and decimals interview has equipped me with
knowledge of Cocos academic standard in terms of mathematics. Coco displays both
strengths and weaknesses within the interview. Her strengths overrule her weaknesses, which
ultimately shows that on the whole, Coco obtains a strong knowledge of fractions and
decimals. However, her weaknesses with regard to this topic must also be addressed. To do
so, I have chosen a learning task of which can be practiced by Coco to boost her
understanding of the aspects of fractions and decimals where she is lacking in ability.

LEARNING TASK:
Despite Cocos good knowledge of conversions of fractions to decimals, there proves to be
some overall conceptual gaps with regards to the comprehension of decimals as a whole;
particularly in relation to decimal size. Alongside this, as evident in question 8 of the
interview, Coco shows an incapability to comprehend the idea of fractions as part of a whole
number, rather than whole numbers themselves. Therefore, I have chosen a learning activity
from the Victorian Department of Education, which addresses both of these misconceptions.
Activity 11: Convert and Compare: Fractions to Decimals revolves around the conversion
of fractions to decimals and comparing the relative sizes of fractions and decimals (refer to
Appendix for rules). This activity focuses on improving the following skills:

EDF1161 Assignment 1: Fractions and Decimals Interview

Emily Greenberg - 26005123

Producing fractions and practice in terms of writing fractions

Converting fraction to decimal
Calculator use
When faced with two fractions, determining which is bigger
When faced with two decimals, determining which is bigger

This task also provides links to clearly outline why some fractions are bigger than others. For
instance, comparing two fractions can often be difficult to interpret, particularly when the
denominators are not equal. However, by converting the fraction to a decimal first, we can
compare two decimal numbers (as opposed to fractions), which is generally easier than
comparing two fractions (Clarke et al., 2008). This learning activity also assists children in
observing first hand where the decimal has derived from and which decimal is equivalent to
which fraction. This is a good way to teach fractions and decimals as it allows us to get to the
bottom of the misconception and begin again, working our way up.

CONCLUSION:
To conclude, it can be understood that fractions and decimals are often not the most enjoyable
topic to learn, nor teach (Clarke, Roche, & Mitchell, 2008). Based on some empirical
evidence, I have been able to gain a deeper understanding of the particular concepts and
aspects of fractions and decimals that often throw students and are more difficult to teach,
compared to those that are more simple to teach, and, as a result, understand and learn. There
is a clear link between the teaching and the comprehension of a topic. For example, if a
teacher can teach a fractions concept with ease and with self-assurance (due to a good
understanding themselves and thorough background knowledge), this is considered to be a
major cornerstone in ones teaching career. This is because such information can be
transmitted to the student so that the child obtains the knowledge in a confident manner.
Therefore, when a child is struggling with a topic, for instance, decimal relativity and size (in
Cocos case), teachers need to take action. There are hundreds and thousands of learning
activities made available for access online which can help students to consolidate concepts
that may be challenging to them. However, it must be understood that these learning activities
must be practiced many times before they become substantially effective and obvious
improvements can be observed in the students mathematical ability.
REFERENCES
Clarke, D., & Roche, A. (2010). The power of a single game to address a range of important
ideas in fraction learning.
Clarke, D., Roche, A., & Mitchell, A. (2008). 10 Practical Tips for Making Fractions Come
Alive and Make Sense Mathematics Teaching In The Middle School (Vol. 13).
Department of Education and Training. (2014). Online Interview Classroom Activities.
Retrieved March 28, 2015, from
https://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/teachlearn/student/mathscontinuum/fracdec
activities.pdf

EDF1161 Assignment 1: Fractions and Decimals Interview

Emily Greenberg - 26005123

APPENDIX: Scanned copy of Cocos interview responses.

EDF1161 Assignment 1: Fractions and Decimals Interview

Emily Greenberg - 26005123

EDF1161 Assignment 1: Fractions and Decimals Interview

Emily Greenberg - 26005123

APPENDIX: Question 5 Fractions on a number line/Question 7a draw me a whole
5a/b/c:

7a:

EDF1161 Assignment 1: Fractions and Decimals Interview

Emily Greenberg - 26005123

APPENDIX: Teaching/Learning task to match the needs of the student interviewed

EDF1161 Assignment 1: Fractions and Decimals Interview

Emily Greenberg - 26005123

EDF1161 Assignment 1: Fractions and Decimals Interview