Programme in action
They came from as far and wide, tutors of adult learners intent on knowing the intricacies of teaching fractions. Peter Lee (left) and Carl Pomare (right), both tutors at Employment Plus, were there quarter of an hour early. The scene was The Copthorne Hotel in Christchurch and this was the first half of a two-day course on teaching fractions run by the National Centre.
It became obvious within quarter of an hour that this was a “hands on” workshop requiring 100% commitment. The first third of the day was spent on fractions as numbers. Tutors got to grips with equivalent fractions by getting to grips with paper strips and tiles. They created number lines to link whole numbers and fractions and recognised that splitting and combining units was the key.
The power of one became more than a Bryce Courtney novel. Everything in fractions required a link back to the unit/whole/one. The group found that in finding two-thirds of a tray of 24 eggs there were two different ones. Each egg was a one (egg) and the tray was a one (tray). Cows and horses shared hay bales equally. To be fair shares the bales had to be split up. “That’s how hay bales are made – for splitting” added an agriculturally-experienced tutor.
In ratios this one-derous occurrence happened again. Tutors mixed paint in measures of yellow and blue. In the ratio two blues to three yellows (2:3) each measure was a one and the whole pot of paint was a one. It was a one-der everyone survived the day.
The evaluations were 99.99999% positive. We did debate if that was the same as 100%! Here are a few comments.
“I will use more practical tools like the ones we’ve had today.”
“Most relevant day. Using checkout tape- Wow.”
“(I will) refer more to daily stuff and look for the learner reaction.”
The second day of the workshop is about getting the point about decimals. It is not too late to book into the second day of this workshop in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington or Christchurch. 0.5 of something good is always better than zero !
Just look on www.plan.ac.nz to see what’s on offer. That will take all of one-twelfth of a minute. There is a wide range of literacy and numeracy workshops available. The National Centre will even come to you in your location if you can muster enough tutors. Just contact Nikki Smith at nikkis@waikato.ac.nz and let her know what you want.