Department of Mathematics
Does Studying Other Bases Help?
Pre-service Elementary Teachers' Strategies for Solving Place-Value Tasks
Margaret Kinzel
Boise State University
Bases other than ten have long been used in mathematics courses for elementary education majors, the rationale being that studying other bases leads to a deeper understanding of the familiar base-ten system. In spring 2001 the mathematics education research group conducted a small study to evaluate the effectiveness of studying other bases.
We conducted interviews with 7 students selected from two sections of MATH 157. Within the interviews, the students were asked to talk about and solve problems in base ten as well as in other bases. In addition, students were asked to convert the `non-decimal' 2.314 in base five to a base-ten numeral. This was a new representation for the students; it is not part of the content of MATH 157. We analyzed the students' work and postulated two components necessary for a robust understanding of place value.
The presentation will use interview data to illustrate the students' strategies and articulate the components of understanding. Implications for instruction will be discussed.
All interested persons are welcome.
The talk will be accessible to upper class students.