Reform mathematics teaching and how it helps students understand the concept of area / by Sarah K. Garrett.

Abstract

The focus of this research was to determine the effectiveness of the reform method of teaching in helping Grade 7 students acquire a conceptual understanding of area. A pre-test, intervention, post-test model was used. Both the tests and the lessons were developed to address six areas of difficulty as identified in the literature as causing problems for students in this measurement topic: measuring areas of various objects, static perspective of area, dynamic perspective of area, spatial structuring and covering, estimation, and the area of an amorphous figure. There were four major findings: students had a positive affective response to the reform method of teaching, students adopted a wider range of strategies to solve problems, students were able to communicate and justify their ideas to others and, students developed a conceptual understanding of topics that the research literature stated are normally only superficially understood by Grade 7 students.--abstract.