Virtual manipulatives are a technological form of representation to help teach mathematics for younger children. This is a new concept to me and it's my understanding that they are internet versions of concrete objects often used in early math education (like pattern and base ten blocks). So why do math teachers want their students to manipulate something on a computer screen rather than in their own hands? The short answer is that these manipulatives not only fulfill the representation standard of the NCTM, but they've been shown to help increase mathematical understanding for the children who use them.
From what I saw in the article, the manipulatives don't look like something that would entertain me for very long. But for little kids the interactivity of the manipulatives keep them very engaged and they can color, highlight, or mark parts of the objects that they want - helpful for problem solving. Using this model in the classroom helps students make important conceptual connections. Schools with a diversity of students may find this particularly useful as they help second language learners represent their thoughts when they often can't verbalize them. This is another example of using how students think to implement technology that can maximize learning.
Anesia,
ReplyDeletemanipulatives are a great way to address the representations standard, and also can serve as motivation. Sometimes the motivation is because the manipulative is fun, and sometimes it is motivating simply because the manipulative might make the concept more accessible to a student who otherwise would be frustrated and confused.
Thanks for the post!
-Ryan Harrison