Teachers\' views of practical work in the teaching of fractions: a case study

Teachers\' views on practical work and their classroom practices were investigated to confirm or refute existing assumptions and literature claims. The teachers were from two primary schools in a rural area of the Hammarsdale Circuit in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Questionnaires in which teachers expressed their views on practical work and fraction teaching were administered to teachers. Lessons on the division of fractions were observed to determine teachers\' practices in relation to the researcher\'s assumptions and claims by literature. Data yielded by these research instruments confirmed assumptions and literature claims. Although this was a small-scale, qualitative study, interesting observations were made that could have pedagogical implications. Keywords : division; fractions; practical work; teacher views; visual representations South African Journal of Education Vol. 27 (4) 2007: pp. 597-612