ASSIGNMENT 4: REPORT

INTRODUCTION

From Number and Operations, I chosen the topic of ratio. A ratio is a quotient used to
compare quantities of the same units of measure. A ratio shows the relative sizes of two or more
values. Ratio do not have any unit. If we multiply or divide one of the term of the ratio, we must
also multiply or divide the rest of the terms of the ratio by the same number. All ratio must be
written in the lowest term.

The learning standard of ratio in year 6 is to represent the ratio of two quantities in
the form a: b or a/b involving part to part, part to whole and whole to part. Therefore, solve
daily problems involving simple ratio and proportion also is the learning standard.

Ratio can be divided into part-to-part ratios and part-to-whole ratios. Part-to-part ratios
provide the relationship between two distinct groups. For example, the ratio of men to women is
4 to 6, or the solution contains 3 parts water for every 2 parts alcohol.
Part-to-whole ratios provide the relationship between a particular group and the whole
populations (including the particular group). For example, 3/5 of the students in the class are girls,
or the mixture is 40% rye grass (40% is equivalent to saying 40 of every 100 parts).
One reason for the importance of teaching ratio is that is provides a useful problem –
solving technique, either direct manipulation or by the method variously known as “the method of
practice” (Anthony Orton, 1987). Ratio and proportion is one of the content of KSSR mathematics

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in area of relationship and algebra. Pupils need develop and explore mathematics ideas in depth
through various learning opportunities and experiences. Based on Kurikulum Standard Sekolah
Rendah (2014), mathematics is the best platform to develop individual intellectual proficiency in
making logical reasoning, space visualization, abstract thinking skills and analyzing. Pupils need
to develop their numeracy skills, reasoning, a way to thinking and problem solving through the
learning and application of mathematics.

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 TEACHING AND LEARNING ISSUES OF RATIO

Nowadays, teacher need to make preparation in the “pedagogical content knowledge” and
resources. In the article of “Ratio”: Raising Teachers’ Awareness of Children’s Thinking, teachers’
awareness of their pupils’ strategies and misconceptions in the field of “ratio” is contributed (refer
appendix 1). Ratio is a topic which is difficult to teach and learn in school. Teachers are needed
to predict the children’s errors and make explanations. C Misailidou and Julian Williams (2002)
indicated that a variety of problems as far as “numerical structure”, “semantic type” and “local
context” is concerned. Models are to be of service to children’s proportional reasoning. Models
involve pictures, tables or double number lines which can used in modelling ratio problems (C
Misailidou & Julian Williams, 2002). The correct strategies in teaching and learning ratio are
“doubling” and “for every “strategy. “For every” is the simple ratio that expresses the relationship
of the problem. An integer ratio is equal to “unit value.

However, there are incorrect strategies, “constant sum” strategy, “constant differences” or
“additive” strategy and “incomplete strategy” of build up method of ratio. There is a frequently
used error strategy and has been widely observed ever since (Hart 1981, Hart 1984) “In this
strategy, the relationship within the ratios is computed by subtracting one term from another, and
the differences is applied to the second ratio.” So, the correct strategies that pupils use are
doubling strategy, for every strategy, multiplicative and cross multiplication method. Through the
result, the trainee teachers recorded their perception of the difficulties of the items on a five point
Likert scale. The data presented that a gap between pupils’ strategies and errors in proportional
reasoning tasks and their future teacher’ knowledge. From the result, teachers are need to
enhance their knowledge by informed on their pedagogical content knowledge about ratio and
proportion.

Besides, there are some common mistakes faced by student. The common mistakes
faced by students are writing the ratio with reversed values and writing the ratios without the same
units. Students may be unsure which quantity should be come first in a ratio. For example,
incorrect writing: the ratio of 9 to 5 = 5:9 or 9/5. The correct writing is the ratio of 9 to 5=9:5 or 9/5.
Students have difficult determining if a ratio is part to part or part to whole. In translate rates,
students also make the mistake, such as not reduced a unit rate to a single unit in the denominator.

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In proportional, there are a mathematical statement that two ratios or two rates are equal. In a
proportion, the product of the extremes is equal to the product of the means

The common mistakes is setting up proportion incorrectly.

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 Misconceptions determines parts of some of the ratio

Furthermore, students also make some of common misconceptions in ratio and

proportions in daily life or in school, in article “Student Misconceptions in Ratios and Proportions
(refer appendix 2). The common misconceptions that faced by students are misunderstanding
proportional reasoning and the additive process are being confused by multiplicative relationships.
Students also are not aware of the relationship between ratios and have trouble reasoning their
way to the relationship between two quantities. This is because students didn’t understand the
concept of the ratio and proportion and do wrongly in calculation. According to Ellis (2013),
teaching ratios and proportions are engaging students in repeated reasoning of concepts rather
than just repeated practice of procedures and skills, can foster both understanding and skill
development for students. With the skill, student may understand the concept of proportional
reasoning and make improvement. Teachers also can link the resources with ratios and
proportions, gives educator a large variety of interactive online resources such as exploring
learning, games, brain pop and so on.

According the article “Primary and Secondary Teachers’ Knowledge, Interpretation, and
Approaches to Students Errors about Ratio and Proportion Topics, the development of
proportional thinking is important since basic educational levels (refer appendix 3). Although the
findings from these studies help us understand teachers’ understanding and strategies, there
remains a need for research to unfold how the teachers’ own understanding impact their
interpretations of the students’ misconceptions (Elena Fabiola Ruiz Ledesma, 2011). The study

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examined the pedagogical strategies used by teachers to address the student errors that related
to their content knowledge of ratio and proportion. In the task, teachers required to find the missing
side of a rectangles given that the condition of two rectangles are similar. The most common
incorrect strategy in finding the length of missing side is to use additive reasoning. Actually, the
correct answers is using solution within ratios, between ratios and unit-rate. The study show that
a student’s error stemmed from lack of understanding of the concept of similarity. When students
do the errors, teachers must responded and guided the students by invoking procedural
knowledge.

Hence, according article “Maths to share-CPD for your school”, students still struggling
with the basic concepts of topic “ratio and proportion” (refer appendix 4). Before start the class,
teachers are encourage to explore some examples that given online with statement of: solve the
problem involving direct proportion, express a proportion as a percentage, both with and without
a calculator, divide a quantity into two parts in a given ratio and appreciate the difference between
ratio and proportion. Teachers should sit together and discuss the effective way teaching ratio
and proportion. There are different types of method can be used in teaching and learning ratio.
For example, teachers prepare a coloured staircase that can be separated into strips to share to
each other. The strips are contain many types of colour and can be select during the activities.
Demonstration of usual notation is carry out, for example 5:3 and teachers can discuss with
students.

Besides, concrete model, pictorial method also used in teaching and learning ratio. This
is because students can understand the concept of ratio through hands-on and visual image
shown by teachers. Some resources also suggested in the article, such as a “flip-flop”, a flexible
visual aid made up of various pictures arranged in a grid formation (ncetm-administrator, 2009).
Group Total Tables is used to allows students to explore different kinds of multiplication situations,
see the Additive–Multiplicative repeated adding of the same amount in one column of the ratio
table format, and relate this to making a particular group total by multiplication (multiplying the
row number times the group number, as in “on Day 5, Robin has 5 × RM3 = RM15 in her kitty
bank” (In J. Campbell (Ed.), 2005). Therefore, connecting Additive–Multiplication and
Multiplication meanings is an important basis for the continued growth of full understanding of all
of the aspects of ratio and proportion (Fuson and Abrahamson, 2004). Different coloured dice
also can be used very effectively by asking pupils questions that relating to the ratio of colours or
proportion of dice showing an even number.

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 SUGGESTION EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Since I chose the topic of ratio, I would like give some suggestion to the teaching and
learning activities for ratio. The resources for the activities in (b) that design by our group still need
improvement. The user manual is as a handbook for teacher how to guide students but still no
enough in teaching and learning of ratio.

In class, teachers can show a ratio teaching video to the class. Through the video,
students are understand how to make calculation ratio. Students will attract to the content that
shown in the video. For example, ratios can be shown in different ways: using the ":" to separate
the values, use the word "to" or write it like a fraction. The trick with ratio is to always multiply or
divide the numbers by the same value. Let we see the example below:

Example 1:

Example 2:

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 Non-routine problem is given in the question also can enhance the mathematical thinking
of students and ask them to think of and share others of part-part and part to whole relationships.
Besides, students also can avoid the misconception happened that is student incorrectly
determines parts of some of the ratios. A framework involving problems of four semantic types
was used to develop the interview questions, and student thinking was analyzed within the
semantic types in terms of mathematical components critical to proportional reasoning ( Lamon
S. J,1993). Group work and worksheet are given to the students and let students to think of and
share others of part-part and part to whole relationships. They need to determine and list all the
different ways to match the correct situations (refer appendix 5).

Teachers explain the difference between part-to-part and part-to-whole ratios. After then,
ask the student to use the table to fill in each row and column total and explain what each
represents. Teachers ask the student to use the table to write other part-to-part and part-to-whole
ratios. Then, guide the student to revise any incorrectly written ratios on his or her paper and
explicitly relate the verbal descriptions of ratios given in the problems to the elements of the ratios.

Furthermore, teachers also can use the concrete model in teaching and learning ratio. At
report 1, our group using concrete model to teach students about the part-to-part and part-to-
whole or whole-to-part ratio. But, I suggest that can improve these resources to make more perfect
by adding new task and some real life thing as a concrete model. Teacher can use the sweets,
cake, ping pong, fruits, books or pens to teach the part-to-part and part-whole or whole-to-part
ratio. Different coloured dice also can be used very effectively by asking pupils questions that
relating to the ratio of colours or proportion of dice showing an even number.

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 CONCLUSION

Based on the Ministry of Education (2013), student’s achievement is need increased

through an efficient education system, increase in quality, equity and access in education will
continuously be strengthened to ensure the continuity of success that has been achieves since
independence. The Malaysia Education Blueprint is used to evaluate the performance of current
Malaysia’s education system with consideration of historical starting points against international
benchmarks. Although some issues in teaching and learning ratio and teachers faced challenges
to teach in topic of ratio, but teachers still work hard to teach their students. Different types of
resources and method are used in teaching ratio and prevent students make the misconceptions
in topic ratio.