#51: Elementary Students’ Developing Understanding of Fractions: Insights from Students’ Gestures

Despite being a foundational topic in elementary school mathematics, fractions persistently challenge students. The purpose of this study was to examine how elementary school students’ gestures convey the varied ways they conceive of fractions, beyond what could be interpreted from their speech alone. Interviews with 21 3rd- to 5th-grade students indicated that most students described fractions as the division of a whole object into equal parts (i.e., the area model), in both their speech and gestures. But, in many cases, students’ gestures provided additional, necessary context from which to interpret their spoken explanations—providing insight into the grounding metaphors that framed their abstract thinking about fractions. Also, although students expressed understanding of fraction notation, this was done either in isolation or in relation to the area model. Findings point to enriching instruction that helps students bridge fraction notation to different and multiple models.