Mistakes in Teaching Equivalent Fractions

Common mistakes made in introducing the concept of equivalent fractions

When teaching equivalence of fractions, teachers often start by 
stating the procedural rules. “Whatever you do to the numerator, you’d do for the denominator”. 

Not only is this not helping in the conceptual understanding of equivalent fractions, but introducing the topic in this way wastes a perfectly good opportunity for the students to exercise their logic reasoning and induction muscles and discover for themselves what equivalence means, which fractions are equivalent and how to find them.

The concept of equivalent fractions seems simple – just multiply the numerator and denominator by the same factor to get another fraction that is equivalent to the origin. However it is not trivial at all, and with intentional design in the instruction delivery, the topic can be introduced in a way that strengthens the students’ reasoning and inductive skills and at the same time, lay a stronger foundation for the future, especially in fraction arithmetic and algebraic manipulations.