Today I observed one of Nahian’s English/Maths tutoring sessions. Their greatest focus was on the concepts of fractions and decimals. I was impressed by her clear, methodical approach to teaching the connection between the two concepts. A particular explanation that stood out to me was how she emphasised the importance of reading each digit in a decimal individually. Using 0.73 as an example, she broke it down step by step. She stated that:
• “The ones place is zero – only thing before the decimal”
• “The tenths place comes immediately after the decimal point.”
• “The hundredths place is second.”
She stressed the ‘th’ ending—tenths, hundredths— which was especially helpful in showing the difference between whole numbers and part of a whole number. She then connected this to fractions by explaining: “Since 0.73 means seventy-three hundredths, the fraction form is 73 over 100.”
This approach made it easy to see how decimals represent parts of a whole, just like fractions do. To further reinforce the concept, she worked through additional examples with her student, including 0.20, 0.46, and 0.04. Each time, she broke the numbers into place values, helping the student identify the corresponding fraction.
This session gave me valuable insights into how I can improve my own tutoring practice. I will adopt this step-by-step method by emphasising the importance of place values and helping students recognise the ‘th’ endings that distinguish tenths, hundredths, and beyond. Breaking decimals down in this way ensures students develop a deeper understanding of how decimals and fractions are connected. In my sessions, I will also incorporate plenty of practice with different decimals, encouraging students to convert them into fractions until they feel confident. I believe this clear, structured approach will help my students become more precise and comfortable when working with both fractions and decimals, building a stronger foundation for future math topics.
Angie Di Giacomo
