Abstract
The conceptual/procedural distinction belongs to strategies, not tasks: A comment on Gabriel et al. (2013)
Highlights
In their recent article, Gabriel et al (2013) propose that the difficulty experienced by Belgian children in learning fractions stems from the fundamental dichotomy of procedural and conceptual knowledge of fractions
Consider the task of shading a geometric object to reflect a given fraction, say 3/4. This task appears from the outset to reflect conceptual knowledge, since successful completion of the task gives some indication of the participant’s knowledge of part-whole relationships in fractions
Consider the alternative where a child is explicitly taught to perform this shading by first breaking the square into four equal sections, shading three of the sections. Does this constitute a demonstration of conceptual knowledge? Or, does it reflect the use procedural knowledge? Hallett et al (2010) would side with procedural knowledge since the procedure was explicitly taught to the child beforehand
Summary
In their recent article, Gabriel et al (2013) propose that the difficulty experienced by Belgian children in learning fractions stems from the fundamental dichotomy of procedural and conceptual knowledge of fractions. The issue I wish to raise in this commentary is not with the conclusions of Gabriel et al (2013), but rather a general issue concerning the notion of conceptual and procedural tasks in mathematics. One of the difficulties is that a single task can reflect both types of knowledge.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call