Math Misconceptions

In fourth grade various new math ideas are presented and many students can face difficulties when new material is introduced. Difficulties are especially displayed when it comes to discovering decimals. Although decimals are introduced in fourth grade they are continuously presented in math thereafter. One common misconception held about decimals is the idea that the more digits that are presented in a $#$#0$#$#, the greater the value of the number. An example of this is students believing that 3 is less than 0.7648 when this is definitely not the case. This misconception is related to Mariam Small’s third big idea where it is stated that by something about mathematical objects/relationships may become more noticeable if it is represented in …show more content…
One main reason why it is crucial to address these misconceptions is because the way in which students understand and learn math at a young age becomes the foundation for their understanding in the future. More complicated ideas in math build upon the basics that students learn in elementary school therefore, if they have skewed perspective or understanding at a young age, when they go on to learning more complicated ideas such as algorithms and formulas they will not be able to effectively understand them. Not only is this an important aspect for their future in math but also for their future in other subjects for instance science. If, for example, students are unable to understand the value of decimal numbers, when they are in science class and have develop an understanding of the data they collected from an experiment, they will most likely be unable to do so if they cannot understand what the numbers represent. The misconceptions they develop in math class at a young age can also become a hindrance to them in their future lives. Namely, if they have a misconception with decimals, it can impact their understanding of money. For example they need to receive $3.00 cash back and someone offers them $0.25 instead they will believe that they are receiving more money than what is owed to them however, that is not the case and can potentially lead to an immense amount of debt. For the same reasons listed above, these misconceptions can affect students in their future careers providing them the inability to interpret, collect or make use of information. In the end it is evident that if misconceptions in math are not addressed at a young age, there are many repercussion that could