14 DAY TRIAL // Children who used the Academic Music hands-on curriculum – which teaches fractions and other advanced theoretical concepts by tapping a rhythm in tune with what is being spoken – fare better than their peers in overall scores.
A paper published in the latest issue of the journal Educational Studies in Mathematics explains “a method that uses gestures and symbols to help children understand parts of a whole and learn the academic language of math,” says SFSU assistant professor of special education, Susan Courey.
After they went through this curriculum, kids who were lagging behind with their fraction knowledge proved capable of reaching the same level as their higher-achieving peers. Add music and multiple ways of learning is what made this possible, Science Blog reports.
The basis for this approach is using the length of half notes and eighth notes as equivalent for fraction sizes. This is extremely simple to comprehend. “It’s fun, it doesn’t cost a lot, and it keeps music in the classroom,” Courey concludes.