Virtual Manipulatives

Virtual ManipulativesBonnie Parret

Tell me and I’ll forget,

Show me and I may remember;

Involve me and I’ll understand.

Chinese Proverb

ManipulativesManipulatives are objects that can be

touched and moved by students to introduce or reinforce a mathematical concept.

Manipulatives bridge abstract concepts in Mathematics to concrete understanding.

Experiential Learning based on the idea that active involvement enhances student learning.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2000)

Principles and Standards for School Mathematics, says,

“In this changing world, those who understand and do mathematics will have significantly enhanced opportunities and options for shaping their future. A lack of mathematical competence keeps those doors closed.”

Traditional Manipulatives

Virtual ManipulativesAn interactive, visual representation of a

dynamic object that presents opportunities for constructing mathematical knowledge.

User engagement distinguishes virtual manipulative sites from those sites where the act of pointing and clicking results in the computer's providing an answer in visual or symbolic form.

The key is for students to be able to construct meaning on their own by using the mouse to control physical actions of objects by sliding, flipping, turning, and rotating them. 

Researchers agree… Virtual manipulatives provide

that additional tool for helping students at all levels of ability "to develop their relational thinking and to generalize mathematical ideas"

Results from classroom studies and dissertations have indicated that students using virtual manipulatives, either alone or in combination with physical manipulatives, demonstrate gains in mathematics achievement and understanding.

Moyer-Packenham, Salkind, & Bolyard, 2008

"Good manipulatives are those that are meaningful to the learner, provide control and flexibility to the learner, have characteristics that mirror, or are consistent with, cognitive and mathematics structures, and assist the learner in making connections between various pieces and types of knowledge—in a word, serving as a catalyst for the growth of integrated-concrete knowledge. Computer manipulatives can serve that function“

Douglas H. Clements (1999)in "Concrete" Manipulatives, Concrete Ideas

Suzanne AlejandreMiddle School Mathematics Curriculum

"Through presenting an activity with the three components (activity, technology, formalizing) we not only give students with different learning styles different ways to see a problem, we give them the extra time they may require for learning.”

Math Applets• An applet is a small program that works from within a larger application program.

• An applet has limited features but only requires limited memory resources.

• It cannot operate on its own. Applets are written in the Java programming language.

http://www.learningtoday.com/corporate/maths-applets.asp

Promethean Wigits & Tools• Ruler• Set square• Protractor• Compass• XY Origin• Dice Roller• Calculator

Resource Pack Wigits & Tools

• Algebra Tiles• Calculators• Coin Flipper• Geometry

Activities• Math pages• New Dice • Symbols

Promethean Planet•Resource PacksCalendars and Time Resource PacksThe resource packs in this listing include page templates, images, audio and backgrounds for teaching about concepts related to calendars and time. Be sure to check out the following resource packs: Clocks, Watches and Time, and Calendars.

http://support.prometheanplanet.com/server.php?show=nav.16613

Flipcharts & LessonsCreated for teachers by teachers.

http://www.mathplayground.com/

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/topic_t_5.html

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html

Websites Worth Whilehttp://www.nctm.org/standards/content.aspx?id=

16909

http://www.learningtoday.com/corporate/maths-applets.asp

http://www.prometheanplanet.com/en/

http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html

http://www.mathplayground.com/

http://illuminations.nctm.org/

'Tell me mathematics and I forget; Show me mathematics and I may remember; Involve me... and I will understand mathematics. If I understand mathematics, I will be less likely to have math anxiety. And if I become a teacher of mathematics, I can thus begin a cycle that will produce less math anxious students for the generations to come.'"

Chinese Proverb paraphrasedWilliams 1998

Referenceshttp://otec.uoregon.edu/virtual_manipulatives.ht

mhttp://mathforum.org/t2t/faq/faq.manipulatives.htmlhttp://www.activemath.com/pdf/activeLearning_preface.pdfhttp://www.ct4me.net/math_manipulatives.htmhttp://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.htmlhttp://www.nhusd.k12.ca.us/node/1201/print