Visuospatial%20Representations

1
Improving Childrens Understanding of
Units of Measure A Training Study
Susan C. Levine Kristin R. Ratliff University
of Chicago
2
Measurement

• Measurement skills lag behind all
  other mathematics topics
  (National Center for Education Statistics, 1996)
• Particularly difficult
• Items not aligned with the start of a ruler

3
Study 1 Continuous (ruler) vs. Discrete (coins)
Aligned ruler
Misaligned ruler
Aligned coins
Misaligned coins
4
Results for the kindergarteners
coins
ruler
aligned
mis-aligned
High
Low
High
Low
SES
SES
5
Results for the 2nd graders
coins
ruler
aligned
mis-aligned
High
Low
High
Low
SES
SES
6
Study 2A No Numbers
Aligned ruler
Misaligned ruler

• Aligned circles

Misaligned circles
7
Results
coins
ruler
circles
aligned
mis-aligned
K
G-2
K
G-2
High
High
8
Study 2B Numbers
Misaligned ruler
Aligned ruler
Misaligned circles
Aligned circles
9
Results
circles
ruler
ruler
aligned
mis-aligned
G-2
K
G-2
High
High
K
G-2
K
G-2
High
Low
High
10

• Development of Training Study
• Engage spatial thinking during task
• Use the ruler as a spatial tool

11

• Children improve on measuring misaligned items
  following training
• Learning is maintained after a 1 week delay

12

• Training effectively corrects the counting
  strategy but not the read-off strategy
• Both groups understood inverse relations and
  correctly used units of different sizes

13
Geographic Learning

• Using Maps
• Units of Distance
• Using scale as measurement
• Taking into account differences in scale requires
  concept of units