Educational Considerations for Using Manipulatives in Mathematics
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Emirates College for Advanced Education, United Arab Emirates
Manipulatives have been used in mathematics instruction for several decades. Historically, manipulatives have been concrete (e.g., blocks, tiles, coins, and a variety of other tangible objects). With the upsurge of technology, concrete manipulatives are gradually being superseded by virtual manipulatives through computer games and other electronic devices, such as tablets. Whether concrete or virtual, manipulatives may be real-world representatives (e.g., using toy versions of butterflies) or abstract (e.g., using blocks to represent butterflies). When using manipulatives during math instruction, educators should consider student achievement, teacher guidance, abstract objects, and student age. In regards to student achievement, review of the literature concludes that using manipulatives during math instruction has shown a small- to medium-sized effect on student achievement and does not necessarily improve deep reasoning skills (Carbonnear, Marley, & Selig, 2013). Teacher guidance is vital when students are using manipulatives, as students need to be taught specific strategies for the various math concepts. Abstract, or decontextualized, manipulatives take precedence over life-like objects. Interestingly, students tend to employ generalization skills with abstract manipulatives, yet only apply the real-world object to problems concerning that object. Other than children in the preoperational-stage of development, manipulatives with explicit instruction can benefit students of all ages, including those in secondary grades.
References
Carbonneau, K. J., Marley, S. C., & Selig, J. P. (2013). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of teaching mathematics with concrete manipulatives. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(2), 380-400.
Keywords:
Mathematics,
manipulatives,
educational considerations,
concrete,
virtual
Conference:
3rd International Conference on Educational Neuroscience, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 11 Mar - 12 Mar, 2018.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Educational Neuroscience
Citation:
Williams
CD
(2018). Educational Considerations for Using Manipulatives in Mathematics.
Conference Abstract:
3rd International Conference on Educational Neuroscience.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2018.225.00031
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Received:
25 Feb 2018;
Published Online:
14 Dec 2018.
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Correspondence:
Dr. Cara D Williams, Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, cara.williams@ecae.ac.ae