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To me what is utterly crucial is to use pie pictures to convince children (and adults...) that 1/2 + 1/3 cannot possibly equal 2/5. If they actually buy this t

• BrandoElFollito 7y ago
  After going though the education of two children who like math very much I realize that fractions on their own are very natural. It is their addition which is not, as it does not have any obvious counterpart in simple nature. I had a math teacher at the university who told us once "there is a neat trick which is normally taught next year but is useless by then and super useful today. Just use it without too much thinking." This is my reasoning too, I showed them the always working way to add fractions (cross multiplication) and hope that someday they will appreciate the beauty of the thing.
  • sethammons 7y ago
    As a former high school math teacher, chances are you did a disservice to them. Many kids never "get" fractions, but do remember cross multiplication! And so they use it for anything with a fraction. 1/3 + 4/5=? CrossMiltipy! 1/3 x 4/5=? CrossMiltipy! 1/3 - 4/5=? CrossMiltipy! 1/3 ÷ 4/5=? CrossMiltipy! 1/3 + ? = 4/5 ... CrossMiltipy? Lots of kids complain about math because there is so much to remember. That's a bad sign because there is so little to remember if you understand the concepts as you can always re-discover forgotten tricks. In similar fashion, as a little kid, I was not allowed Velcro shoes when learning to tie my shoes. After I showed I could master tying them, then I had the option to go back to the easier Velcro option.