- Measurement instruction in the classroom has been ineffective.
- 72% of 2nd graders in a study were able to relate the whole length of the line to the corresponding part of the ruler, demonstrating transitive reasoning. This means that 3rd graders should have been able to "relate the whole length of the line to the corresponding part of the ruler;" the low-level response given by so many 3rd graders can thus be "attributed to ineffective teaching."
- Students in early childhood are measuring with the purpose of coming up with a number; they are not being taught the concept and purposes for measurement.
2. A study showed that almost a third of seventh graders did not know what a unit of length was. Units of length is a concept that should be taught in early childhood, and clearly instruction of this concept has been ineffective. Children should be cognitively able to compare two or more objects in early childhood, and they should be taught to make measurement comparisons with a purpose. They should not feel as if the purpose of measurement is simply to come up with a number for the teacher.
3. When teaching measurement, I will need to make sure I am not limiting my students' understanding. I will make sure my students are able to indirectly compare two or more objects to ensure that they understand the underlying principles of measurement.
