Decimals: What’s the Point?

Presented by Drew Corley, PhD, Senior Learning Scientist, Amplify Education
Sponsored by Amplify Fractions

Watch the Recording

First it was whole numbers, then it was fractions, and now there are decimals. Clearly, we’re going from a “rational” number system to an “irrational” one! But why?

In this edWebinar, Drew Corley, PhD, Senior Learning Scientist at Amplify Education, navigates the growing number system as experienced by elementary- and middle-school students, with an emphasis on vertical alignment and pedagogical content knowledge. Several fun and engaging activities that can be used to foster rich discourse in the classroom will be presented as examples.

The content addressed will span grades four to eight: from introducing decimals as numbers; to comparing and operating with decimals; to relating and converting between fractions and decimals, including both terminating and repeating decimals; and all the way up to the introduction of irrational numbers. The presentation will be centered around tasks for the classroom. Some critical moments will include: discussing decimals as notation for privileged fractions that fit nicely into the base-ten number system; exploring the pros and cons of using decimals and fractions in different scenarios; and leveraging learning about comparing and operating with decimals to bolster fraction understanding through backwards transfer.

Teachers, coaches, and specialists working with grades four through eight will benefit from watching this recorded session.

About the Presenter

Drew Corley, PhD is a senior learning scientist at Amplify Education, where he and his team have developed Amplify Fractions—an adaptive, story-driven approach to mathematical instruction. Drew is a former NBPTS certified teacher in mathematics (EA) with seven years of classroom experience at the high school and collegiate level. During and after graduate studies, Drew has focused heavily on the topics of assessment, and upper elementary- and middle-grades students’ learning and understanding of mathematics, particularly in the rational number domain. He received his BS in mathematics and MT in secondary mathematics education from the University of South Carolina, and went on to earn his doctorate in mathematics education from North Carolina State University.

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Amplify Fractions is a digital learning program, laser-focused on fractions. It’s where adaptive learning meets great storytelling, giving students personalized instruction, feedback and practice—all in an animated story-driven environment. Students don’t just learn fractions, they learn to make sense of fractions.