1. What are some of the road blocks when dealing with fractions and what are the possible solutions?
2. What kind of everyday tools or applications could you use to stimulate further understanding of fractions? And where do you see fractions in everyday life that could motivate students to want to learn fractions?
3. What are the strategies you use to compare fractions? For example, try to compare the fraction 3/8 and 1/4 to illustrate your method(s). What other method(s) could you potentially use, but forego? Why did you use the method(s) you chose and not others?
4. As of now, how can you best explain the invert and multiply procedure used in fractions? For example, how could you explain the computational steps to get the answer to 4 divided by ½ = 8? Why do you think so many teachers are unable to provide an explanation for this method?
5. What evidence level ratings were assigned to each recommendation? And what does each mean? Give a brief explanation of each. From your own knowledge, what changes in study design could remedy the deficiencies in the moderate rating?
6. If a 7th or 8th grader, with a decent understanding of geometry, lacks a fundamental, conceptual grasp of fractions, what way or ways could you relate his knowledge of geometry to fractions?
7. U.S. students lack conceptual understandings of fractions even after several years of practice. What are some facets that lead to such lack of conceptual understanding of fractions?
8. Do you think that improving the teacher's understanding of fractions would correlate to an improvement in the students' understanding of them? Why or why not?
9. Based on table 2, which recommendations are shown to be more effective? Why do you think this might be?
10. What are some effective ways of carrying out the recommendations? How do partitioning objects and numbers help supplement the students' understanding of fractions?
