09.23.2011

Multiplying Fractions Added to Conceptua Fractions

We are excited to announce that Conceptua®  Fractions has been upgraded to include new lessons and a new interactive tool for teaching Multiplying Fractions. These lessons appear as Big Idea 8 - Multiplying Fractions. In conjunction with this upgrade, we are also publishing a new free tool for Multiplying Fractions.

The lessons in Big Idea 8 include some dramatic improvements to our visual approach to mathematics instruction. First, users will notice that nearly every problem begins as a word problem. We believe it is critical for students to develop their understanding of multiplying fractions in context. For example, “John’s yard is 4/5 of an acre. He mowed 2/3 of it. How many acres did he mow?”

Next, we use our new Context and Paraphrase system to bridge the student from the word problem to modeling. Students are asked to restate each word problem using a “paraphrase.” The paraphrase asks students to restate the story problem to a “groups of” or “parts of” statement. This simple statement gives the student a scaffold for understanding the problem conceptually to set up the visual models.

To support modeling multiplication, we have introduced two fantastic interactive models: the number line model and the area model. The number line model is introduced first as students have more experience with it. These are carefully employed for each problem type. As with all Conceptua Fractions units, Multiplying Fractions employs a careful sequence of practice problems. Students first learn the Context and Paraphrase system and the use of visual models by working with whole numbers. They experience increasingly complex problems until they eventually multiply a fraction by a fraction. Each lesson builds cognition and confidence for the student. Throughout this progression, the elements of the equation are gradually introduced until students are able to create the paraphrase, build the models, and complete the equation by themselves. In later lessons, models become optional, and it culminates in numbers-only problems.

We continue to support the problem types and the use of the models with interstitial screens, but you will notice that some of these screens now include video to better illustrate the interactivity of the different aspects of the paraphrase, models and equation.

Here’s a quick summary of the topics found in Big Idea 8:

Topic 1: Multiply a Whole Number by a Fraction

Multiply Whole Number by Whole Number 811
Multiply Whole Number by Unit Fraction 812
Multiply Whole Number by Unit Fraction - Simplify 813
Multiply Whole Number by Proper Fraction 814
Multiply Whole Number by Mixed Number 815
 
Topic 2: Multiply a Fraction by a Whole Number

Multiply Unit Fraction by Whole Number - Models 821
Multiply Unit Fraction by Whole Numbers 822
Multiply Proper Fraction by Whole Number 823
Multiply Mixed Types – Common Factors 824
 
Topic 3: Multiplying with Common and Uncommon Factors

Multiply Mixed Types: No Common Factors 831
Multiply Proper Fraction by Proper Fraction 832
Multiply Mixed Numbers and Whole Numbers 833
Multiply Mixed Number by Mixed Number 834

We have also added enhancements in other areas of the product in response to customer feedback. These include:

Improvements to the equivalence expression.
1) In lessons where the students are making equivalent fractions, the “equivalence expression” is positioned differently on the page. This is to help see that the starting value and the model are closely linked. 2) All of the models now include the “gray box” that identifies the equivalence expression. We had originally introduced this in the horizontal bar and because of its success, expanded it to the other models.

Class report indicates if a student did not pass.
If a student does not pass a lesson, but the teacher moves the student forward anyway, the teacher now gets a visual indication of which lessons this occurred on. On the teachers class progress report screen, a black dot will appear on any lesson that the student did not pass. Students will not see this on their progress screen.

Enhanced the look of the subtrahend model.
The subtraction model has a slight visual enhancement so that the shaded subtrahend appears more “negative. ” This change also creates a clearer representation the difference in a subtraction problem when you drag the subtrahend model over the minuend model.

Improved highlighting in text-to-speech.
Two color highlighting improves the student's ability to track the text while the word problems are read aloud.

08.25.2011

Through its Innovative Curriculum, Conceptua® Math Can Help Educators Teach Fractions Effectively

PRLog (Press Release) - Aug 21, 2011 - Conceptua Math can help educators learn a more effective way for their students to master fractions through Conceptua® Fractions. With 70 years of cumulative experience in the subject, the team of educators and curriculum software developers created a program that focuses on how to teach fractions using simple, visual models and exercises for both home-schooling and teacher-facilitated classroom instruction.

The system deals with a number of topics that range from basic operations to word problems. Examples of some topics include: identifying equivalent fractions, adding fractions, subtracting fractions, and ordering fractions. Multiplication of fractions and division of fractions will be launched by Conceptua Math in the fall of 2011.

Conceptua® Fractions uses flexible, interactive models that help students build conceptual understanding and procedural fluency of fractions. Mastering fractions can enable students to better understand more complex mathematical concepts, and develop students' analytical abilities and sophisticated reasoning.  While understanding fractions is foundational to higher math, it is also foundational for applications in everyday life.

From concrete to abstract representations, Conceptua® Fractions can help teachers guide their students to deep understanding. The curriculum was designed with consultation from leaders in the Common Core Standards movement, and follows a concrete-to-

representational-to-abstract methodology.

For more details on how to teach fractions using Conceptua® Fractions, as well as their tools and curriculum, call 1-888-768-6284 or visit http://www.conceptuamath.com/premium.html.

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About Conceptua Math:

Conceptua Math was founded on the belief that all students are capable of learning mathematics in a profound way when it is taught with an approach that appeals to their learning styles. Conceptua Fractions uses visual models in a groundbreaking online curriculum to build conceptual understanding and procedural fluency with fractions. The Conceptua Math Team has a proven track record as prior leaders of IntelliTools, where they built strong market leadership in assistive technology for education. The Team has over 70 years combined experience in curriculum and software development and is driven by a passion for mathematics education.For more information on Conceptua® Fractions call 1-888-768-6284 or visit http://www.conceptuamath.com.

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05.20.2011

Comment on our Fractions Videos

Comment on our videos and get a t-shirt

You’ve seen Arjan’s videos about learning and teaching fractions with the free fractions tools. Comment on your favorites this June and we’ll send you one of our popular Conceptua Fractions t-shirts.

Go to videos >

04.13.2011

Conceptua Math Aligns to Quantile Measures

PETALUMA, CA and DURHAM, NC  --Conceptua Math is now offering educators a new way to match students with instructional activities at the right developmental level. The company has partnered with MetaMetrics®, developer of The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics, to assign Quantile measures to many of the activities in its innovative Conceptua™ Fractions program, providing educators with valuable information to help guide classroom instruction and support student learning.

"Fractions are tough to teach and equally difficult for students to learn," said Conceptua Math CEO Arjan Khalsa. "Our goal is to provide classroom teachers with the tools and support they need to help students succeed with fractions. By adding Quantile measures to our online activities, we are providing them with important information about the difficulty of particular skills and concepts so that they can best connect students with instructional exercises at an appropriate readiness level."

Conceptua Fractions comprises interactive tools and over 400 targeted practice activities -- now with Quantile measures -- on fractions topics covered in grades 2-7. The program is correlated with most major mathematics textbooks and the Common Core State Standards. It supports both group and individual instruction by using visual models, sequenced activities and verbalized feedback to challenge students based on their own learning styles and to keep them engaged throughout the entire learning process. Conceptua Fractions' built-in assessments allow educators to diagnose student misconceptions, choose remediations and monitor progress as students advance through the core curriculum. For more information, including subscription pricing options, visit www.conceptuamath.com.

"With Quantile measures in Conceptua Fractions, educators can better connect students with targeted activities that match their mathematical achievement level," said MetaMetrics President and co-founder Malbert Smith III, Ph.D. "Regardless of where a student may be in his or her understanding of fractions, educators can use the Quantile measures of the activities to match the student with skills and concepts that best meet his or her unique learning needs."

MetaMetrics' Quantile measurement service calibrates the mathematical skills or concepts related to each activity with the Quantile Framework in order to calculate the Quantile measure of that activity. The Quantile measure describes the difficulty of the skill or concept being taught and the demand on student ability required to learn it. Each activity is measured by MetaMetrics' subject matter experts in order to obtain an accurate Quantile measure.

The Quantile Framework differs from other measurement systems in that it evaluates mathematical achievement and the difficulty of mathematical skills and concepts on the same developmental scale. Quantile measures describe a student's readiness for instruction and indicate which skills and concepts the student is ready to learn and those that will require more instruction. Educators and parents can use this information to connect the student with resources that meet his or her unique learning needs and to determine if the student is on track to pass year-end assessments and be ready for the demands of college and careers. For additional information, and to access the free Quantile Teacher Assistant (http://qta.quantiles.com) and Math@Home (http://mah.quantiles.com) web utilities, visit www.Quantiles.com.

About Conceptua Math
Conceptua Math was founded on the belief that all students are capable of learning mathematics in a profound way when it is taught with an approach that appeals to their learning styles. Conceptua Fractions uses visual models in a ground-breaking online curriculum to build conceptual understanding and procedural fluency with fractions. The Conceptua Math Team has a proven track record as prior leaders of IntelliTools, where they built strong market leadership in assistive technology for education. The Team has over 70 years combined experience in curriculum and software development and is driven by a passion for mathematics education. Learn more at http://www.conceptuamath.com.