You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

This past summer I have had many professional development opportunities. All I can say is WOW!! I have learned so much that I'm still trying process all the wonderful information.

The biggest AH-HA moment for me was learning a new way to divide fractions. How many of you out there learned the method Invert and Multiply? I did. It's the only algorithm for dividing fractions. Right? Wrong!

Ever heard of dividing with a common denominator? I was first exposed to this "revolutionary" algorithm at CAMT in San Antonio. As soon as I could get to a computer, I excitedly googled it. Much to my surprise, there were dozens and dozens of websites on this specific topic. My first thoughts were "Am I the last math teacher on earth to hear about this method? Makes me wonder what other fantastic math practices that I don't know about."

Of course, I immediately had to call, email, and text all my teacher friends and tell them about my great discovery. The range of reactions was "Oh...nice. Did you hear about so and so?" to "Cool. I can't wait to show this to my students!"

Dividing fractions using a common denominator makes so much more sense. You actually get to divide. The best part is that the transition from pictorial to abstract is a smooth one.

Here are the steps:
1. Convert all numbers to fractions, if not already.
2. Find a common denominator.
3. Divide the numerators.
4. Divide the denominators, which always should be "1" if you did step #2.
5. Simplify the answer.

I was like a kid in a candy store, giddy with delight! I know. It takes so little to make my day. Bye!