Process for Designing Fraction Instructional Activities to Foster Critical Thinking in Grade 4 Students

Abstract

Developing critical thinking in mathematics instruction requires broad objectives to be translated into specific learning activities appropriate to the content and students’ level. This study aims to establish principles and propose a process for designing fraction instructional activities to foster critical thinking in Grade 4 students. The study employs document analysis and synthesis, systematization and generalization, combined with an illustrative case study. Drawing on Facione’s framework of six critical-thinking skills and the learning outcomes of the 2018 General Education Curriculum in Mathematics, the study identifies manifestations of critical thinking in fraction learning, five design principles, and a five-step process: identifying learning outcomes and critical-thinking objectives; selecting focal content and cognitive bottlenecks; developing tasks and anticipating responses; designing questions and modes of organization; and reviewing, revising, and finalizing. The process is illustrated through an instructional activity on adding 1/3 and 1/6. The analysis indicates that demands for interpretation, analysis, evaluation, explanation, and self-regulation can be increased without extending the content beyond the Grade 4 curriculum. The process provides a design framework; its feasibility and effects need to be further examined through empirical research.