The Mathematical Knowledge, Sensibilities and Skills in Teaching of Elementary Fraction Concept

Objective: This research is based on the identification of the mathematical knowledge, sensibilities, and skills of Panama’s Elementary Public School teachers who teach fraction concepts and are looking to identify the reasons why the Panamanian students do not show any interest towards mathematics.

Study Design: Facts such as, sensibilities and skills in the mathematical knowledge, could affect the teaching process of the students from elementary school.

The objective of this study is to research qualitative-quantitative factors, with the Likert inquiry and a knowledge test in the area of fractions. The whole analysis is guided by the study of the triangulation methods, people and moments, which is presented and we can use it as a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods (mixed analysis).

Methodology: In this descriptive research was there realized a small exploration in 100 teachers of elementary education, split into 32 from first grade teachers, 46 from second grade and 22 of third grade.

Results: In our country, there is a reality about certain shortcomings when our teachers provide to students the fraction concept in the mathematics class. In one of the question of the component about sensibilities, says: I consider mathematics is a subject that can have success easily, The teachers themselves are in disagreement taking mathematics as an issue, and therefore They don't teach when they are faced to the common classes. In this question, 44% of the teachers disagreed, because it is not their strong side. While in the knowledge test about the concept of fractions that mediate their knowledge, the results were surprising since 58% was below the average for basic knowledge of mathematics and the fraction of 42% have the knowledge needed to teach math classes.

Conclusion: This study showed that the mathematical knowledge of the teachers in elementary school is one of the possible causes of the performance of the students in upper levels, leading in this case the students to low performance. Therefore, a good level of comprehension has to be obtained and good knowledge of the concepts of math that could allow them to manage themselves with security and fluency in the topics given to their students and acknowledge the articulation of the purpose and content of the different levels in elementary.