Fractions for Primary Education with PhET Simulations

University of Colorado Boulder via Coursera

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Provider

Coursera
Pricing

Paid Course
Languages

English
Certificate

Paid Certificate Available
Duration & workload

11 hours 1 minute
Sessions

On-Demand
Subtitles

English

Found in

Overview

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PhET Interactive Simulations (https://phet.colorado.edu/), a project of the University of Colorado Boulder, provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations for primary, secondary, and higher education levels. We extensively test and evaluate each simulation to ensure educational effectiveness. All simulations and associated resources are open source and therefore free for all users. In this course, you will acquire teaching and facilitation strategies for how to use PhET simulations in a grade 3-5 classroom (ages 7-11) and engage with lessons supporting students’ learning about fractions. Specifically, you will (a) develop familiarity with fractions through PhET simulations including Fractions: Intro, Fraction Matcher, Build a Fraction, Fractions: Mixed Numbers and Fractions: Equality, and (b) reflect on strategies for teaching fractions, including small groups, demos, storytelling, and predictions, while maximizing student talk. To finish this course, you need to complete discussions, auto-graded quizzes, and one major assignment with peer review. The peer review assignment consists of creating a lesson (using a template) on fractions using one of the PhET simulations introduced in this course, and reviewing others’ lessons (using a provided rubric).

Syllabus

Introduction to Fractions

In this module, you will activate your prior knowledge of fractions and learn how the PhET simulation, "Fractions: Intro," can support fraction sense.

Fractions: Intro

Now that you’ve engaged in open play and learned facilitation strategies to successfully implement open play, it’s time to engage in a lesson using the Fractions: Intro simulation. The goal of this module is to help you learn how to effectively facilitate a lesson using the simulation to better take advantage of PhET’s design principles supporting the challenging fraction concepts.

Exploring Math Identity

In this Module, we will side-step briefly to explore how the previous vignette supports a positive math identity, or the way in which people view themselves as mathematicians. It is common for many students–and their teachers–to approach math with some trepidation. This module aims to help you unpack how you and your students might approach math, and what you can do to shift from math anxiety toward mathematical curiosity and joy.

Fractions: Equivalent Fractions

Now, let's move beyond an introduction to fractions, and begin to explore equivalent fractions with the PhET simulation Fractions: Equivalent Fractions.

Fractions: Mixed Numbers

In this module, you will reinforce the connection between a positive math identity and certain facilitation moves while deepening your knowledge of the relationship between numerators, denominators, and the concept of 'wholes' in fractions. The lesson in this module leverages the simulation, Fractions: Mixed Numbers, to explore improper and mixed fractions, and supports how to convert between the two.

Two More Fraction Simulations

The three fractions simulations you explored during a lesson, Fractions: Intro, Fractions: Equality, and Fractions, Mixed Numbers were all designed to provide users with an experience to build meaning around fractions. In other words, these sims supported the building of students’ fraction sense. As such, lessons can be, and are, written as what PhET calls, “sim-based lessons,” in which the simulation is an integral part of the lesson and is relied on to complete the activity as knowledge is built. You probably also noticed that the three simulations you already used include games in which students can assess and reinforce their knowledge about fractions. This module introduces two additional fraction simulations that include only the games and an interactive whiteboard (called the Lab screen) that does not provide immediate feedback for students.

PhET’s Website

You have now interacted with several sims throughout this course. The way you accessed the sims were in one of two ways: either directly interacting with the sim as an embedded component within a page, or by clicking a link taking you directly to the sim in a browser. By interacting in this way, PhET’s website was bypassed so the focus of each lesson could be on the sim rather than how to navigate to the sim. The PhET website, however, has several free resources designed to support you as you integrate sims into your practice. This module guides you through PhET’s website to provide awareness about what available resources exist as well as how to navigate to them. Note: This section includes information also embedded within our Active Learning in STEM with PhET Interactive Simulations Specialization course, with the exception that the sims highlighted below have been customized to include the Fraction simulations you explored in this course. If you have already taken the course listed above, feel free to skip this Module. See the Learning Objectives for more information about what is included in this Module.

Creating Sim-Based Lessons using PhET’s Instructional Philosophy

In this module, you will briefly be introduced to PhET’s instructional approach to creating sim-based lessons. The goal is to help you become familiar and comfortable with how to construct a lesson leveraging the powerful functionality of a PhET simulation. As part of the overall course completion, you will create your own sim-based lesson and peer-review at least one other participant’s lesson. This module highlights a fraction of PhET’s intentionality in designing lessons to ensure students are able to maximize their learning experience while using a PhET sim.

Pulling it All Together

This module provides an opportunity to synthesize and apply key concepts, strategies, and tools you have explored throughout this course. You will reflect on your journey through the PhET fractions simulations, consolidate your understanding of effective teaching practices including active learning, and create a comprehensive lesson that demonstrates your growth of sim-based fraction instruction.