This study has as main objective to investigate the efficiency of an alternative methodology for teaching and learning to solve problems involving fractions. It is a methodology that consists of using different registers of representations of a problem composed by 3 variants, structured according to the experimental principles of semiotic variation and concomitant variations. The study was conducted with 29 students, attending teacher training courses for elementary school, through a questionnaire containing 3 variants of a problem. In each variant-problem, 3 to 4 alternative representations of two other types of problem registers were given. The results revealed that deficiencies in the conceptual comprehension of the fraction and its computational rules, difficulties to make the linguistic decoding, are factors that had an unfavorable influence on the performance of the students. However, it has been proved that the use of different registers of semiotic representations induce the student to the comprehension activity of problem, which consists in the identification, articulation and coordination of the units and cognitive reference variables between the registers. Thus, applied in didactic situations, an approach of this nature is an effective method for teaching and learning to solve problems, because it has produced an increase about 10% in the performance of future primary school teachers in problem solving involving fractions

Keywords : Semiotic Representations Registers, Fractions, Future Primary School Teachers, Semiotic Variation, Concomitant Variation, Problem Solving, Proficiency With Fractions.