Whether you are teaching online, onsite or hybrid, virtual manipulatives are robust tools that can provide students with a pathway to make meaning out of abstract concepts. This is critical for all learners across the K-12 grade span as visual representations can cue students to make connections to previously learned concepts and lower the language barrier that teachers may not consider when it comes to teaching and learning math. Virtual math manipulatives are defined as an “interactive web-based visual representation of a dynamic object that presents opportunities for constructing mathematical knowledge (Moyer, et al., 2002, p.373). These web-based tools might not be how you experienced learning mathematics, but they certainly will pave the way for students who are entering a technology-rich workforce where digital skills are in high demand.
Virtual manipulatives hold much promise for supporting students in developing mathematical skills and conceptual understandings, and they certainly align with what students are doing outside the classroom and how they engage with friends in digital worlds such as Mindcraft and Roblox. As teachers we know that capturing our students attention is paramount to learning and that our students are already coming into the classroom using digital tools to create, explore and have fun. Why not extend your teaching of math concepts with virtual manipulatives, and let students show you what they know with virtual representations?
References:
Bolyard, J., & Moyer-Packenham, P. (2012). Making sense of integer arithmetic: The effect of using virtual manipulatives on students’ representational fluency. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching, 31(2), 93-113.
Dickenson, Patricia (September 10, 2021) Virtual Math Manipulatives. Google Slides https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JVpVH0zWzqF-QqdqZxGIs2Zc1p6aDiJk7rl3RMW3kYU/edit?usp=sharing
Dickenson, Patricia (ND) Area Model Multiplcation. Google Jamboard. https://bit.ly/35OzWA4
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Moyer, P. S., Bolyard, J. J., & Spikell, M. A. (2002). What are virtual manipulatives? Teaching Children Mathematics, 8(6), 372–377.
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