WEBSITE COMPARISON AND REPORT

A. WEBSITES:
1) For teacher use: http://www.visualfractions.com/
2) For student use: http://www.math-play.com/math-fractions-games.html

B. TEACHING AND LEARNING CONTEXT

1) School context:
Cecil Hills High School
Location: Cecil Hills, 2171, South West Sydney
Enrolment: 1199 students, year 7-12
Good NAPLAN result in Persuasive Writing, Spelling, and Numeracy, relative to
schools of similar background and Australia average. A local school of choice.
2) Class context
Class size 30 students; co-educational.
The topic is addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of fraction.
Year 8, stage 4.
80% students from language backgrounds other than English. Therefore, some
students may need some literacy support. Moreover, some contexts on Math-play
website may cause confusion: Millionaire game, American Football, Baseball, etc.
These games may also cause confusion for students who are not familiar with

sports and gameshows.

Students are generally engaged in Maths class.
Index of Community Socio-Educational advantage (ICSEA) is 973, lower than
Australia average. Hence, there may be students, from low-income background,
need to borrow tablet/ laptop from school to access the websites during class.
Hence, teachers need to be aware and prepare tablets/ laptop to be borrowed
during class. After class, those students may not be able to access the websites.

Hence, teachers should check with them before giving homework requiring access
to ICT.
3) Teacher context
Focus on teacher trainees: Lack of experience. Hence, the teachers need proper
planning, good simulation before real class. Models from experienced teachers
will be helpful. The website chosen, Visualfractions, is very suitable for this
context because of two reasons:
o It is created by a 28-year-experience retired teacher, Mr. Richard E. Rand.
o The website provides
Slides for lesson organized in terms of students' progress from

basic to advanced;
Exercise worksheet for practice/testing;
Designer page for visual illustration of fraction operation;
Games for students' practice of fraction calculation;
List of other websites for further teaching resources.
Teachers need to follow New South Wales syllabus and to achieve the required

outcomes.
The usage of websites requires students to bring laptop/ tablet/ smart phone to
class. Teachers should remind the class before the lesson and prepare some

devices ready for borrowing if any student forgets to bring a device.

If possible, the teacher should request a senior teacher to review lesson plan and
website usage before class. Simulation of the lesson should be done in advance.

C. APPROPRIATENESS OF THE WEBSITES FOR ACHIEVEMENT OF

INDICATED OUTCOMES (FROM NSW SYLLABUS)
1) General outcomes:

Visualfractions
The website helps teaching fraction in words,

Math-play
The Math-play games do not provide much

mathematical symbols, as well as visual

support in terms of communicating and

illustration. Especially, the designer page

connecting Maths ideas. It only focuses on

allows teachers to generate various types of

making it more fun for students to solve

visual models for any fraction calculation

fraction problems.

input. Usage of these resources will enable

students to communicate the ideas to others in
written format with words, symbols, and
graphics. Moreover, the visual models used are
consistent throughout various contents of
fraction teaching. Therefore, it will help
student to connect ideas among various
knowledge about fraction.

Visualfractions
The website is really effective in helping

Math-play
The Math-play websites target is motivating

students see how techniques are used to reach

students to solve fraction problems. However,

the result of a fraction problem:

it does not show techniques required for

_ The designer page, worksheets, and games

solving. Hence, the website is only suitable for

clearly demonstrate steps and techniques

students who knew techniques to practice

employed. For example, techniques such as

problem-solving.

common denominator and reciprocal are shown

in mathematical representation as well as
diagram.

However, the Math-play websites do provide

games about finding Greatest Common

_ Practice of fraction operation is also

Factors, Lowest Common Multiple, converting

supported with the designer page, which is a

fraction to equivalence. These games will be

fraction calculator where students and teacher

helpful for students to build foundation

can enter the operation they want and see the

technique and hence solve the fraction

workout in expression and visual.

operation games easier.

Visualfractions
All the visual illustration helps teachers make

Math-play
Maths problems on the Math-play games are

students understand the fraction operation

represented in pure Maths expression, such as

visually, rather than just manipulation of

1/2 + 3/5 = ???. These games do not provide

numbers and symbols. Visual conceptual

problems requiring understanding a context,

understanding will make student identify and

finding the Maths behind and solve it.

explain mathematical relationships in real life

Therefore, the website is not really helpful in

and in Maths problems - especially the games

developing an ability to find and explain

relate fraction with real-life cookie portion,

mathematical relationships in contexts.

position along a hedge, weighing scale,

distance.

Visualfractions

Math-play

As previously mentioned, the website

The Math-Play games encourage

support teaching of fractions operation

students to practice more fraction

comprehensively in words, visual, and

operation. So it will be helpful for

Maths symbols. The slides, visual

learning of this outcome.

designer, exercise & solution, and games

contribute to students conceptual
understand, practice, and revision of
fraction operation.
*Decimals and percentage outcomes are not discussed since we are considering topic
of fraction addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

2) Content outcomes:

Visualfractions
_ The visual models facilitate demonstration of

Math-play
_ Problem solving in the games involve

common denominator and operation with

unrelated denominators.
_ No illustration how to do the calculations.

unrelated fraction clearly

_ The diagrams also help students identify and

Not much help in conceptual development;

explain incorrect operation.

_ Slides and visual designer on the website

explanation of incorrect operations.

_ Mixed numbers are not found in the adding

provide sample illustration of subtraction

& subtracting games.

_ There is no mention of calculator method,

among fractions, mixed numbers, and whole

mental method, and negative numbers.
numbers.
_ Negative numbers, calculator method, and
mental method are not mentioned.

Visualfractions
The website provides:
_ Visual illustrations of multiplying and

Math-play
Only useful to encourage students practice
general multiplication and division of

division process in area model (rectangles and

fractions. No further support for understanding
circles).
_ Slides with explicit visual illustrations of

of concepts, techniques, or methods in the

multiplying/ dividing numbers more than 1,

outcomes

equal to 1, and less than 1.

_ No mention of calculator method, mental
method
_ Slides and games illustrating fraction of
quantities. Eg. a portion of cake, fraction
length of a hedge.

D. CLARITY OF COMMUNICATION

Overall

Visualfractions
It includes Main page and a few

Math-play
All games on one page, with titles

clarity

Resource pages (Progress or Slides or

explaining the fraction operation

and ease

Designer or Worksheet or Games or

demonstrated in the games. Moreover,

of use.

Websites), on which resources of the

the games are ordered from basic

same type are listed based on fraction

foundation to advanced calculation.

topic from basic to advance.

Hence, it is easy for students to find the

Hence, teachers will find it easy to

game to practice if they have any

understand if they're looking for a

specific kind of operation in mind.

specific resource type, such as games.

However, it will be more difficult if the
teachers want to gather all possible
resources for a specific topic, such as
fraction addition. The website provides
no search function or page of any
specific topic.

For each teaching resource, there are

clear detail instruction and indications of
fraction topics covered. Hence, teachers
can make an effective use of all the
Languag

resources for lesson plans.

The language on the website requires

In terms of language, the Math-play

e and

sufficient concentration and time. The

website is easy for students to

diagram.

writings are long with a lot of

understand. It includes simple English

Mathematics vocabulary. However,

with some Maths vocabulary, which is

other words are not academically

familiar to students. There is no

intensive and no difficult grammar

academic English or lexically dense

structure is used. Hence, most teacher

sentences. There is no difficult grammar

and even students should be able to

structure either and the overall writing is

understand.

short.

The language used in slides is lexically

Explanation of how to play the games,

dense with a lot of Maths vocabulary. It

content of the question, and how to enter

may cause difficulty for students,

answer are explained simply. However,

especially those from language

some activities in the games may not be

backgrounds other than English.

familiar to all students. For example,

The language used in the worksheet and

baseball, American football, millionaire

games are simpler. Sentences are less

games are not globally understood and

lexically dense than that of slides.

hence may cause confusion for some

year-8 students from certain cultural

backgrounds.

A lot of visual illustrations are used on

As mentioned, there is no explanation of

the website as well as in all resources to

how to solve Maths problem or any

demonstrate fraction operation. These

theoretical support in the games. So

diagrams, either length model or area

students will not be able to learn much

model, are really helpful in

from the website explicitly. Most of the

demonstrating the concept of fraction

learning will be from practicing of

operations to students. They enable

fraction operations.

students to understand the concepts

All the visual in the games have no

through senses rather than abstract

relation with the fraction content and

symbols and mechanistic rules. They

hence are not of any support to students'

provide a significant boost to the clarity

comprehension of fraction operation.

of communication from teacher to

student in the topic of fraction
operations.

E. REFERENCES
Board of Studies Teaching & Educational Standards NSW,. (2016). Mathematics K10 :: Stage 4 ::
Fractions, Decimals and Percentages. Syllabus.bostes.nsw.edu.au. Retrieved 8 June 2016, from
https://syllabus.bostes.nsw.edu.au/mathematics/mathematics-k10/content/780/
Popovici, D. (2016). Math Fraction Games. Math-play.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016, from http://www.mathplay.com/math-fractions-games.html

Rand, R. (2016). Visual Fractions - A Fractions Modeling Tutorial.Visualfractions.com. Retrieved 8 June

2016, from http://www.visualfractions.com/