Moving beyond memorization of probability rules, the area model can be useful in making some significant ideas in probability more apparent to students. In particular, area models can help students understand when and why they multiply probabilities and when and why they add probabilities.

We have extended two perspectives of proportional reasoning to solve problems based in probability. Four future middle grade teachers were enrolled in a mathematics content course that emphasized reasoning about multiplication with quantities. The course expected future teachers to generate and explain methods for solving proportions. Probability…

Research on teaching high school mathematics shows that the topic of percentages often causes learning difficulties. This article describes a method of teaching percentages that the authors used in university bridging courses. In this method, the information from a word problem about percentages is presented in a two-way table. Such a table gives…