Meet Ms. Garcia, an elementary school teacher who is about to start fractions instruction with her class. She knows fractions are important, but in the past, the unit has felt particularly frustrating to teach. Her students struggled to form a deeper understanding of concepts, which in turn impacted their overall math confidence and engagement. She’s tried everything, from worksheets to physical manipulatives (even slices of pizza!), but she knows there’s more she could be doing to better prepare them for future success.
And Ms. Garcia’s not alone. Many teachers like her struggle when it comes to teaching fractions. Thankfully, there’s a solution. ExploreLearning Frax helps develop fractions mastery in just 13 hours – taking math instruction from setback to success for all teachers and students.
The power of research-based technology in math education
For many students like Ms. Garcia’s, fractions are the first time that math stops “making sense.” The new Frax White Paper uncovers how this happens and presents the keys to fractions success supported by educational research. The summary details how Frax’s adaptive and game-based system solves this problem with research-proven strategies to help students develop a conceptual understanding of fractions.
Implementing measurement-based interventions
The research is clear that as modeling tasks become more complex, fractions are easier to understand when presented with lines instead of circles (length models vs. circular area models). The strongest student success occurs when using number lines as the primary representation tool.
Does this mean shaded area models should be abandoned entirely in fractions instruction? No. Shaded area models are still typically covered in effective fractions interventions but as a supplement after primary work with length representations.
The effectiveness of number line learning in the classroom
To achieve mastery, students must understand that fractions are numbers (each with a location on the number line). However, a significant transition occurs with this measurement-based approach as students progress from length models to the abstract nature of number lines, making scaffolding critical to effectively develop competency.
Efficacy unleashed: The role of Frax in fractions mastery
Number lines are a clear example of how an interactive and adaptive learning environment like Frax can profoundly increase accessibility to such a critical tool for math exploration.
Built around evidence-based practices, Frax uses intuitive visual representations (like length models) to introduce the number line representation of a fraction through carefully scaffolded tasks. Students develop an understanding of fraction magnitude naturally as they progress through engaging and motivating game-based instruction. Frax delivers problems in individualized sequences with immediate, tailored feedback and adaptive support that continually deepens understanding and accelerates progress—something difficult, if not impossible, to achieve through traditional instructional methods.
With a relatively short investment of time (on average 13 hours to complete Frax Sector 1), students like Ms. Garcia’s can succeed with fractions and experience substantial achievement gains.