Macarambon, Saliha M.
GED109 - Teaching Mathematics in Elementary Grades
LESSO
N 13 Use of
Lesson
At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
1. Described the use of manipulatives
2. Identify the use of manipulatives in the classroom
3. Develop a manipulative to aid mathematical instruction
Introduction
Mathematics is an abstract subjects which is the reason why many students find it
difficult. One way to concretize mathematics for young learners is through the use of
manipulatives.
Engage
Before starting this lesson, let us first analyze the “Pollysylables” below and you
will be guessing the correct answer.
ti
s ma
ve
ni pu
la
Explore
Let us do an activity. Find a partner and talk to each other. After that, describe
what manipulatives have you experience during your Elementary Grades and discuss it
in front of your classmates.
Activity 1: Describe Me!
Question Answer
What kinds of manipulatives have you
experience in Elementary?
How did you use that manipulatives?
How did your teacher teach using that
manipulatives?
Explain
Manipulatives are concrete objects like blocks,
tiles, and geometric figures, that students can interact
with (touch and move) in order to develop conceptual
understanding of mathematics concepts. Use of
manipulatives is not all new; manipulatives have
helped people learn mathematics since ancient times.
For example, the early Chinese had the abacus and
the Incas used knotted strings called quipo to aid in Abacus
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counting. In modern times, educators Friedrich Froebel
and Maria Montessori were the one who advanced the
use of manipulatives in classroom instructions. At
present in the Philippines, the DepEd mathematics
curriculum calls for manipulatives to be used in
teaching a variety of competencies. (Unit III -
Instructional Strategies for Mathematics in the Primary
Grades, Page 85 -87)
Knotted Strings quipo
Manipulatives are frequently used in the https:www.apec2016.pe
elementary math classroom, but use drops off when
math begins to become more complex in the higher
grades. Manipulatives can be a useful teaching tool for
students with learning disabilities (LDs), as they increase the number of sensory inputs a
student uses while learning the new concept. The increase in sensory inputs improves
the chances for a student to remember the procedures to solve a problem (Witzel, 2005).
If manipulatives are unavailable or the student resists using manipulatives, virtual
manipulatives are good alternative. Virtual manipulatives are online app-based versions
of concrete manipulative objects.
Some benefits of virtual manipulatives include:
1. They can be used discreetly on a tablet so as not to draw attention to students
with LDs, who may need to use manipulatives for a longer period of time in
the learning process compared to their peers without LDs
2. Ease of managing and transporting materials, which benefits busy educators
as well as students with LDs who may have challenges with organization and
other executive functions.
3. They can be accessed by as many students as required on their personal
devices, at school or at home.
4. Many virtual manipulatives come wit prompts and scaffolds to support greater
student independence.(Bouck & Sprick, 2019)
Aside from helping the students acquire a deeper understanding of mathematics,
the use of manipulatives also give you, the teacher, the chance to genuinely assess their
students’ mathematical thinking. You can move around, observe, and take note of
students’ discussions and ways of manipulating. Moving around will let you give
immediate feedback and taking notes of observations will help you improve your future
lesson.
One drawback in using manipulation is that it may cause a confusion, especially to
struggling students, if they are not presented with proper guidance and instruction from
the teacher. Moreover, careless use of manipulatives might result in students believing
that there are two different world of mathematics - the manipulative and the symbolic. It
is, therefore, important that the teacher carefully plans how to integrate manipulatives in
classroom discussion in such a way that there is a smooth transition from concrete to
abstract. Following are some guidelines in using manipulatives in the classroom.
1. Orient the students on how to use manipulative. Give some time for the students to
play with the manipulative. Allow them to explore the object and what they can do with
it.
2. Give clear and specific instructions. State the goal of the activity and how the
manipulative can help them achieve the goal.
3. While the students are at work, pay attention to their mathematical talk. Use their
ideas to enhance the discussion that follows after the activity.
4. If some students are struggling ask them “why” and “how” questions to scaffold their
way through the activity.
Many manipulatives are commercially available; the common ones are base blocks
(for learning value, place value, decimals, etc.), geoboard (for learning properties of
plane figures), play money, and paper clock. However, you may also create
manipulatives using readily available materials like popsicle stick, buttons, boards,
fasteners, etc. Making your own manipulatives is much cheaper and it gives you the
benefit of customizing them according to your need.
Base Blocks Geoboard Play Money Paper Clock
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g.com
Elaborate
Below is an example of a do-it-yourself manipulative. It is a protractor customized
for young children and useful for measuring angles of inclined surfaces. Using this
manipulative will help primary students develop a sense of angle measure without the
intricacies of using an actual protractor which is more suitable for older children.
How to make:
1. Print out the following on a heavy-duty paper or a piece of cardboard.
2. Use a circular fastener to attach the arrow to the protractor. Make sure that the arrow
is loose; it must be always facing downwards however the orientation of the protractor.
How to use:
1. Align the straight part of the protractor to the inclined surface.
2. Allow the arrow to fall.
3. The measure to which the arrow points to is the measure of the angle of inclination.
In the example above, the angle of inclination is 60°. mow the students will have
an idea of how wide the opening of a 60-degree angle is.’
Evaluate
Multiple Choice: (2 points each)
Direction: Read the question carefully and choose the best answer. Encircle the letter of
your answer.
1. In teaching value, place value, decimals, etc. in mathematics, what manipulatives is
appropriate to use?
A. Geoboard
B. Tiles
C. Base blocks
D. Play Money
2. Why does many students find mathematics a difficult subject?
A. It is a headache subject
B. It is an abstract subject
C. It’s a fun subject
D. It’s a counting subject
3. What is the one way to concretize mathematics for young learners?
A. Use of instructional materials
B. Use of technology and devices
C. Use of symbolic numbers
D. Use of manipulatives
4. In teaching properties of plane figures in mathematics, what manipulatives is
appropriate to use?
A. Geoboard
B. Tiles
C. Geometric figures
D. Play money
5. One drawback in using manipulation is that it may cause a what?
A. Stress
B. Sadness
C. Fun
D. Confusion
Summary
Manipulatives are concrete objects where the students can interact with. It means
students can touch and move this objects in order to develop conceptual understanding
of mathematics concepts. Manipulatives have helped people learn mathematics since
ancient times. Aside from helping the students acquire a deeper understanding of
mathematics, the use of manipulatives also give the teacher the chance to genuinely
assess their students’ mathematical thinking. Using manipulatives without proper
guidance and instruction from the teacher may cause confusion specially to those
struggling students. It, is therefore important that the teacher carefully plans how to
integrate manipulatives in classroom discussion in such a way that there is a smooth
transition from concrete to abstract.
References:
Unit III - Instructional Strategies for Mathematics in the Primary Grades, Page 85 -87
Learning Module -Secondary school 2 - MAth - Manipulatives
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