Q for mathematicians, teachers, and lovers of semantic arguments.
I’m not a math teacher, but once I had to teach it, so I took a class in teaching it. Our instructor said not to tell kids they are “reducing” fractions because that’s not correct. He said kids have a hard enough time as it is understanding equivalent fractions (a very necessary bit of knowledge, but VERY hard for kids to understand), and so to say a number is being “reduced” gives them the impression that the number is being made smaller, which, obviously, isn’t the case.
So now it bugs me when I hear someone talk about “reducing” fractions.
I’m sure an argument can be made either way, but what do y’all regularly say? What were you taught? Have you heard anyone express a preference?
I wish I were at school…I’d get out the fifth graders’ math books and see how the book puts it.