Place Value
Introduction
In this essay I will be looking at the definition of place value and what does it mean, I will then explore the importance of the base-ten system in relation to place value and why knowing the base-ten system is important for understanding place value. I will then discuss the reason for why learners struggle with understanding the concept of place value, also I will discuss the importance of using concrete material. Finally I will look at the progression of levels from grade 2 into grade 3 learners according to the CAPS document.
Definition
Price (2001), state that place value refers to our base-ten system, where each digit in a number represents a partial amount, this amount is determined by the structure of the number and the position of the digit in the number. In the base-ten system the position of a digit represents its value, therefore each digit has its own value in relation to another written symbol. This concept can be very easy to understand or it can be very complex, it can also be extended to many extends such as moving to the left to or to the right where numbers become decimals or fraction.
The importance of the base ten system .
According to Klimam (2000), in order for a learner to understand place value, they need to understand the structure and sequence of the base ten number system. As learners count, they interpret the values of written and spoken numbers, they are able to distinguish which number is larger or smaller, and explore relationships among numbers, through doing this they are developing a picture of our denary number system.
The importance of understanding place value is that the learners are able to use the base-ten system to form accurate, flexible, conceptual structures for quantities represented by written symbols. The learners need to be able to manipulate numerical values in a meaningful manner to solve mathematical problems(Price, 2001). Through teaching the learners the base-ten system they
In this essay I will be looking at the definition of place value and what does it mean, I will then explore the importance of the base-ten system in relation to place value and why knowing the base-ten system is important for understanding place value. I will then discuss the reason for why learners struggle with understanding the concept of place value, also I will discuss the importance of using concrete material. Finally I will look at the progression of levels from grade 2 into grade 3 learners according to the CAPS document.
Definition
Price (2001), state that place value refers to our base-ten system, where each digit in a number represents a partial amount, this amount is determined by the structure of the number and the position of the digit in the number. In the base-ten system the position of a digit represents its value, therefore each digit has its own value in relation to another written symbol. This concept can be very easy to understand or it can be very complex, it can also be extended to many extends such as moving to the left to or to the right where numbers become decimals or fraction.
The importance of the base ten system .
According to Klimam (2000), in order for a learner to understand place value, they need to understand the structure and sequence of the base ten number system. As learners count, they interpret the values of written and spoken numbers, they are able to distinguish which number is larger or smaller, and explore relationships among numbers, through doing this they are developing a picture of our denary number system.
The importance of understanding place value is that the learners are able to use the base-ten system to form accurate, flexible, conceptual structures for quantities represented by written symbols. The learners need to be able to manipulate numerical values in a meaningful manner to solve mathematical problems(Price, 2001). Through teaching the learners the base-ten system they
References: Kliman, M. TERC. 2000. HOW DO STUDENTS BUILD AN UNDERSTANDING OF PLACE VALUE IN INVESTIGATIONS? http://investigations.terc.edu/library/curric-math/qa-1ed/place_value.cfm [ 6 May 2013]. Kwenda, C. 2012. Education: Vgotsky 's socio-cultural theory of development. Cape Town: Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Lombard, A.P. 2013. Numeracy: What does it mean to learn Mathematics? Cape Town: Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Moodley, T. 2011. Education: Cognitive Development Theory. Cape Town: Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Price, P.S. 2001 The development of Year 3 students ' place-value understanding representation and concepts. Queensland University of Technology, Australia. [online] http://eprints.qut.edu.au/15783/1/Peter_Price_Thesis.pdf [8 May2013] Sherman, H.J Richardson, L.I & Yard, G.J. 2009. The Impact of Place Value on Mathematic. Pearson Education Inc. http://www.education.com/reference/article/impact-place-value-mathematics [ 6 May 2013] South Africa. Department of Education. 2011. Curriculum and assessment policy statement grades 1-3. Pretoria: Government Printing Works. Thompson, P.W. 1994. Concrete materials and teaching for mathematical understanding. Arithmetic Teacher, 41(9). http://www.pat-thompson.net/PDFversions/1994Concrete.pdf [ 8 May 2013]