Utilizing Math Manipulatives

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Introduction Teachers are constantly trying to find the best practices for teaching mathematics concepts to their students. They are being held accountable daily for their student’s mathematical performances. Math is a big part of the curriculum and the students will use math for the rest of their life. Teachers want students to remember mathematical concepts so that they can build upon them year after year. In order for this to happen, teachers must find ways to keep the students interest and help them to have a deeper understanding of math. Using a hands-on approach, such as manipulatives, is one way to build a stable mathematical foundation. Using manipulatives to instruct daily math lessons insures that students understanding of concrete mathematics will increase. Math manipulatives “refers to any hands-on object that the students can physically move in order to discover the solution to a problem” (Rust, 1999, p. 2). According to Rust (1999) the use of manipulatives is not a new idea. They have been around since ancient time. The human race is familiar with taking real life objects and manipulating them for understanding and knowledge. Like the ancestors of the past, manipulated materials make it possible for students to see the reality in the math concepts that are being used. “Base-ten blocks, algebra tiles, Unifix Cubes, Cuisienaire rods, fraction pieces pattern blocks and geometric solids are examples of manipulaives that can make abstract ideas and symbols more meaningful and understandable for students” (Durmus & Karakirik, 2006, p. 17). “The use of manipulatives provides teachers with a great potential to use their creativity to do further work on the math concepts instead of merely relying on worksheets”(Duffy, Furner & Yahya, 2005, p. 17). Manipulatives add to the instruction of lessons and allow the students to explore math problems by using

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