Any elementary math teacher can tell you the value of math manipulatives. Hands-on learning engages children, encourages problem solving skills, and has the potential to support learning. As our students become more immersed in an increasingly digital age, sustaining their interest in math may become more challenging. Virtual manipulatives, like those offered by McGraw-Hill, are a great option for teachers who are interested in integrating Web 2.0 technologies in their instruction.
The McGraw-Hill Virtual Manipulatives toolkit contains dozens of interactive web tools that support math instruction. The toolkit includes just about anything you might find in a well-stocked elementary math closet (it certainly has more tools than the math closet I use at my school!), including base ten blocks, bucket balance, clocks, connecting cubes, currency, geoboards, spinners, and more. The toolkit also includes workmats, offering blank worksheets or games students can use. The possibilities for this Web 2.0 tool are endless and it is a powerful option for teachers who are interested in integrating more technology.
Sarah this is a great tool. Especially when thinking about those math closets and the times when everyone in the school seems to be studying geometry. Virtual manipulatives allow all students to have access to the materials and have more time for exploration. Our math specialist keeps emphasizing the increased amount of time we'll have to teach Common Core math and showcasing the numerous lessons involving manipulatives, these virtual manipulatives will allow students to explore and really develop their problem solving skills on a personal level.
ReplyDeleteLiz, you're so right when you describe the competitive nature of the math closets! It's interesting because virtual manipulatives keep coming up in discussions of Common Core at our MST meetings. I love what you said about students developing their understanding on a personal level. The toolkit offers a plethora of manipulatives and can be scaffolded for a spectrum of diverse learners. Thanks for your comment!
DeleteMy only criticism of virtual manipulatives is that if students lack prior knowledge, they will not be able to imagine enough of the details that a virtual manipulative cannot provide! For example, they won't know that one side of the scale feels much heavier than the other or how hard you have to pull on the rope in a pulley system. So I caution using these tools in replace of 1st-hand experiences when students have little to no experience wit these objects.
ReplyDeleteThis is especially important in younger grades. Young children really need hands-on experiences because of their developmental stage. Once they have those, virtual manipulatives can be quite useful for creating large amounts of increasingly complex practice.
DeleteI agree completely, Natalie, that virtual manipulatives should not replace the hands-on experiences students gain when handling tangible manipulatives. It is very important for young students to experience the sensation of comparing, weighing, turning, and measuring using their fine motor skills. However, like David said, when students have a concrete understanding of how manipulatives can be used to support the application of strategies, virtual manips can offer increased accessibility to students and potential to simulate more complex math processes. Have you seen the probability spinner? It is so neat and definitely beats tallying on a chart with every spin!
DeleteSarah-this site has been awesome for some of my students with special needs, especially the geoboard. I have one student with autism who had a hard time manipulating the rubber band and placing it around the small pegs on the geoboard. Fine motor skills are more difficult for him. He is usually a strong math student, so he got frustrated when he couldn't work the geoboards. His mom asked me for some help and I directed her to this site. It worked really well for him!
ReplyDeleteWow! I am so happy to hear that this resource has been helpful to one of your students with special needs! In this case, the virtual tools provided more appropriate access to the curriculum for one of your learners. That's really cool. Thanks for sharing!
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