Aspect7 Measurement

The Numeracy Continuum
Aspect 7: Measurement
This is an interactive Adobe Acrobat PDF 9 document. It is best viewed on screen as it contains embedded video and an interactive menu.
Introduction
A measurement results from dividing a continuous quantity, such as length, area or volume, into identical units and determining the number of units. This allows continuous quantities to be compared with other quantities of the same type. To measure a continuous quantity, such as the length of a desk, the length has to be partitioned into units that can be counted by either repeating the unit along the length, or subdividing the length into units of a given size. That is, after identifying the endpoints of the length to be measured and the unit to quantify the distance between the endpoints, this unit is used repeatedly end to end (alongside the object being measured) to determine the accumulated number of units corresponding to the length. We call using the unit repeatedly end to end iterating the unit. Learning how spatially organised units t together, and how they may be counted systematically, is basic to understanding the measurement of length, area and volume. As we move from length to area and volume we increase the need to coordinate units of units. However, in each case to obtain a precise measurement, units must be aligned or packed so that there are no gaps or overlaps.
Introduction The measurement framework Why bother with informal units? Area Multiplication Developing the structure of units in length, area and volume Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Level 7 References
Iterating a unit to measure length

This is an example of iterating a unit, without gaps or overlaps, to measure a length. The student is also able to determine the effect of replacing each unit with two shorter units.
>
The measurement framework

The focus of the measurement aspect of the continuum is the identication of units and the development of the structure of units used in measuring length, area and volume. Measurement may also involve comparison, such as determining the longest string, or the container that holds the most. The measurement framework brings together length, area and volume by reinforcing the similarity of the processes involved in measurement of quantities where the units are spatially organised. Measurement enables continuous quantities, those which are not separately countable, to be compared and ordered. A fundamental difference between measuring and counting a discrete quantity is that in measurement the units are not visible unless concrete units are used or the units are constructed or drawn. The items in discrete quantities such as a box of apples or a group of children can be individually counted. To measure a continuous quantity requires partitioning it into units that can be counted.
>
Why bother with informal units?

When informal or non-standard units such as hand spans, paperclips or popsticks are used to measure a length, the units have to be either aligned along the length, or one unit has to be repeated and the endpoint of each length marked in some way. However, when formal units are used to measure length, the measurement can usually be read from a scale on a ruler or tape, which shows units of a particular size. If students are not shown the relationship between the informal and formal measurement procedures, they may not understand the principle underlying the use of a ruler. Similarly, measuring areas and volumes with informal units assists students to understand the calculation formulae when these are taught, providing the principles underlying the informal and formal processes are understood. Students cannot successfully estimate, compare and measure if they have inadequate understandings of what they are measuring and the structure of units employed in measuring. We want students to understand what it is that they are measuring, to choose and use appropriate units to compare quantities and, to use measuring instruments in ways that assist in using the structure of units to determine calculated quantities. Students can develop an initial appreciation of the attribute (length, area, volume) being compared through an explicit focus on the attribute when directly comparing quantities. They also need to know that the quantity is unchanged if it is rearranged (conservation). Students learn to recreate a copy of the object using multiple units of the same size when measuring, before developing the capacity to create tools, such as rulers, through iterating a single unit to form a representation of quantied multiple units. A key understanding of the measurement process is the repetition (or iteration) of units. Unit iteration involves knowledge of repeatedly placing identical tightly packing units so that there are no overlaps or gaps. For example, accurately aligning units along a length, constructing an array of units to measure the area of a rectangle, or packing a container to determine its volume.
>
The length of the line is ve paper clips
Six units in each row and three rows result in an area of 6 x 3 =18
>
Another key understanding is that the units must be equal in size. In the rst year of a three-year longitudinal study of children initially in years 1 to 3, Lehrer, Jenkins and Osana (1998) found that over 80% of the children saw no problem with mixing two differentlength paper clips. Over time, however, 80% of children in grades 4 and 5 said that the units needed to be the same. Unless students understand length measurement they will not have the basis for developing area and volume concepts. As well as recognising the need for units to be equal in size, students need to recognise the relationship between number and units of measure. When a length is measured in two ways, using different but equal sized units (as below), some students consider that the greater number of units represents a greater length (Inhelder, Sinclair, & Bovet, 1974).
Equal length shown with different numbers of matchsticks.
Individual units can be combined into composite units, such as a row of tiles or a layer of blocks. Experience with composite units will help students to learn that fewer large units are needed to measure a quantity, but smaller units give more precision. Composite units can be used in calculations and linked to early multiplication, e.g., 4 rows of 3 squares. Accounting for parts of units will extend students knowledge of fractions of continuous quantities.
>
Area Multiplication
In dealing with tasks that make use of an array-structure, such as determining the number of square units needed to cover a rectangular area, students need to use spatial understanding combined with multiplicative strategies. The required spatial understanding for area multiplication tasks involves mentally organising or constructing the units (in this case squares) in order to cover the rectangle. Initially, little attention is given to where the squares should be positioned on the rectangle and the student simply follows a meandering path until it appears the area might be covered. No attention seems to be directed to gaps or overlaps that occur while reconstructing the units. At a more sophisticated level, the student is able to structure the square units in specic groups but may be unable to coordinate the structure of groups in two directions. At a higher level of understanding, the student is able to structure the units in rows, however the rows would be iterated incorrectly when covering the rectangle. At the highest level of understanding, the student follows a grid structure and is able to visualise a column and row structure (Battista, Clements, Arnoff, Battista, & Borrow, 1998).
Coordinating multiplication with an array

Although this student appears to know multiplication facts such as 7 x 3 and can picture array structure of the area of the rectangle, he does not link the two together.
>
In determining the number of squares needed to cover the area, students multiplicative strategies move from counting by ones, to skip counting (often supported by the use of nger strategies) and nally to coordinating groups of groups, e.g.7 rows of 3 (Outhred & McPhail, 2000). However, the link between spatial structure and multiplication is not automatic and needs to be established.
>
Developing the structure of units in length, area and volume

L0 Emergent structure
Attempts direct comparison without attending to alignment. May attempt to measure indirectly without attending to gaps or overlaps.
L1 Direct alignment
Direct comparison of the size of two objects (alignment).
L2 Transitive comparison
Direct comparison of the size of three or more objects (transitivity). Indirect comparison by copying the size of one of the objects.
L3 Multiple units
Uses multiple units of the same size to measure an object (without gaps and overlaps). Chooses and uses a selection of the same size and type of units to measure an object (without gaps and overlaps).
L4 Indirect comparison
States the qualitative relationship between the size and number of units (i.e. with bigger units you need fewer of them). Chooses and uses a selection of the same size and type of units to measure by indirect comparison.
L5 Iterates the unit

Uses a single unit repeatedly (iterating) to measure or construct length. Can make a multiunit ruler by iterating a single unit and quantifying accumulated distance. Identifies the quantitative relationship between length and number of units (i.e. if you halve the size of the units you will have twice as many units in the measure).
L6 Composite area
Creates the row-column structure of the iterated composite unit of area. Uses the rowcolumn structure to find the number of units to measure area.
L7 Repeated layers
Creates the row-column structure of the iterated layers when measuring volume. Uses the row-column layer structure to find the number of units to measure volume.
>
Level 1: Direct alignment (2 objects)

Measurement involving direct comparison, such as determining the longest string, requires aligning and juxtaposing the length of objects.
Direct comparison of length (common baseline). Determining which of the two pencils is longer relies on establishing a common baseline or starting point to make the comparison.
>
10
Level 2: Transitive comparison (3 or more objects)

Ordering the comparative size of three or more objects relies on using the transitive property of measuring quantities. That is, if the yellow pencil is longer than the brown pencil, and the brown pencil is longer than the red pencil, then the yellow pencil is longer than the red pencil.
Direct comparison and ordering of length (transitivity). At Level 2 students can also make a copy of one object, say with their ngers, and use it to compare to another object.
>
11
Level 3: Multiple units of the same size

Measuring using multiple units of the same size requires recreating the length, area or volume. Indirect comparison is achieved by copying the size of one of the objects and using the multiunit representation as the means of comparison. The two line segments that the student is comparing are the same length. Using both the paper tape and the wooden blocks, she conrms her belief that the vertical interval is longer. Although the students argument about size of the gaps is logically correct, it is not conrmed in practice.
Inaccurate indirect comparison
>
12
Level 4: Indirect comparison

Compares sizes by choosing and using a selection of the same size and type of units to measure and make indirect comparisons. Students are able to state the qualitative relationship between the size and number of units (i.e. with bigger units you need fewer of them).
Comparing two off-set intervals by choosing and using paperclips to measure.
>
13
Level 5: Iterates the unit

Measuring length requires determining the number of unit lengths that t end to end along an object, with no gaps or overlaps. When you have only one copy of the unit of length to be used, you need to be able to use a single unit repeatedly (iterating) to measure or construct length. The process of repeating a unit length end to end along an object is known as unit-length iteration. Students can gain an understanding of how a multi-unit ruler works by constructing one by iterating a single unit and quantifying the accumulated distance numerically. Students also need to appreciate the quantitative relationship between length and the number and size of units used to measure length (i.e. if you halve the size of the units you will have twice as many units in the measure).
Making a multi-unit ruler
>
14
Level 6: Structure of composite units of area

At level 6 the student is able to create the structure of a rectangular array. That is, the student is able to visualise a column and row structure and has moved beyond simple counting of squares along a one-dimensional path. The rows and columns are conceptualised as composite units.
A lack of row or column structure
Row structure
Coordinated row and column structure
>
15
Composite units of area

This student creates outlines of the square as markers for the row-column structure of composite units of area. Using the markers the student effectively iterates the column and uses repeated addition. In recognising that 4 rows of 3 is the same as 3 rows of 4, the student also appears to have an appreciation of the commutative property of multiplication.
>
16
Level 7: Structure of repeated layers

At level 7 the student is able to create and use the structure of a repeated layers in determining the volume of a rectangular prism. Use centimetre blocks to make a rectangular prism that starts with a base that has twelve blocks. Add two more layers before drawing your rectangular prism and recording the total number of blocks used. What would the volume be if you had a different number of layers?
>
17
References
Battista, M. T., Clements, D. H., Arnoff, J., Battista, K., & Borrow, C. V. A. (1998). Students spatial structuring of 2D arrays of squares. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 29(5), 503-532. Bragg, P., & Outhred, N. L. (2004). A measure of rulers - The importance of units in a measure. In M. J. Hines & A. B. Fuglestad (Eds.), Proceedings of the 28th annual conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 2, pp. 159-166). Bergen, Norway: Program Committee. Curry, M., Mitchelmore, M, & Outhred, L. (2006). Development of childrens understanding of length, area, and volume principles. In J. Novotn, H. Moraov, M. Krtk, & N. Stehlkov (Eds.), Proceedings of the 30th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Vol. 2, pp. 377384, Prague: PME. Inhelder, B., Sinclair, H., & Bovet, M. (1974). Learning and the development of cognition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Outhred, L., & McPhail, D. (2000). A framework for teaching early measurement. In J. Bana & A. Chapman (Eds.), Proceedings of the 23rd Annual Conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. (Vol. 2, pp. 487-494). Sydney, Australia: MERGA. Outhred, L. & Mitchelmore, M. C. (2000). Young childrens intuitive understanding of rectangular area measurement. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 31, 144-167.
Acknowledgements
This aspect of The Numeracy Continuum has been formed by the work of many researchers and teachers. First among the researchers have been the contributions of Dr Lynne Outhred and Dr Mike Mitchelmore. NSW Department of Education 2010
>
18

Aspect7 Measurement

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Aspect7 Measurement

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Numeracy Continuum

The Numeracy Continuum

Iterating a unit to measure length

The Numeracy Continuum

The measurement framework

The Numeracy Continuum

Why bother with informal units?

The Numeracy Continuum

The length of the line is ve paper clips

The Numeracy Continuum

Equal length shown with different numbers of matchsticks.

The Numeracy Continuum

Coordinating multiplication with an array

The Numeracy Continuum

The Numeracy Continuum

Developing the structure of units in length, area and volume

L5 Iterates the unit

The Numeracy Continuum

Level 1: Direct alignment (2 objects)

The Numeracy Continuum

Level 2: Transitive comparison (3 or more objects)

The Numeracy Continuum

Level 3: Multiple units of the same size

Inaccurate indirect comparison

The Numeracy Continuum

Level 4: Indirect comparison

Comparing two off-set intervals by choosing and using paperclips to measure.

The Numeracy Continuum

Level 5: Iterates the unit

Making a multi-unit ruler

The Numeracy Continuum

Level 6: Structure of composite units of area

A lack of row or column structure

Coordinated row and column structure

The Numeracy Continuum

Composite units of area

The Numeracy Continuum

Level 7: Structure of repeated layers

The Numeracy Continuum

You might also like