FractionSketch: An Electronic Whiteboard for Teaching Fractions

In this paper we propose a new electronic whiteboard system for teaching fractions, a fundamental math topic that is often problematic for students. A field interview with an elementary school teacher and an examination of a math textbook that is common in Japanese public schools produced a set of usage scenarios that motivated our tool. The result, FractionSketch, allows teachers to sketch shapes that are commonly used to teach fractions, such as circles, rectangles, and number lines. Teachers can then manipulate these objects, divide them, and recombine them in ways that are useful for teaching both simple and advanced topics. Educators who evaluated our interface found it intuitive, easy to use, and believed that the interactive presentation methods could be motivating and enriching for students.