UHV Hosts Free Fractions Workshop

We all have or have had teachers in our lives. Most of them work very, very hard and don't get paid half of what they're worth. Now UHV is stepping up to offer a fractions workshop.

A free workshop for Victoria teachers on Friday will focus on how to help students learn and remember fractions. The program is open to kindergarten through sixth-grade teachers at public, private and home schools. Teachers are asked to bring scissors and markers.

Barba Patton, a UHV associate professor of math education, will present interactive activities designed to help students understand and remember fractions. Information also will be presented about how to avoid common fraction misconceptions.

Getting students to retain information about fractions has a number of state test and real life benefits, Patton said. For example, on the state math tests, fractions are embedded in 60 to 70 percent of the questions. While the test may not directly ask about a fraction, students need to know fractions to answer the questions correctly.

"Students will learn later in life that fractions are everywhere," Patton told the Victoria Advocate. "You use them for shopping, time, money, cooking, travel - the list goes on and on."

 The "Motivation: Making Fractions User Friendly" in-service training is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the Alcorn Auditorium of UHV University West, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. The registration deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday. To RSVP or for more information, contact Barba Patton at pattonb@uhv.edu or 361-570-4263.