I've been on this math manipulative kick lately.
Funny thing is, I used to hate them. I am a product of numbers-only curriculum. Most of us probably are. If we didn't get a math concept as kids, we did 100 more problems until we did. If we still didn't get it, the teacher explained it louder in hopes that we would. Naturally I was skeptical of any little toy, widget, or cog that was supposed to explain math. I knew math as a series of numbers and rules; rigid, strict and to be followed without fail.
Flash forward, like, 50 years. I get how to do that old-skool math, but I am falling in love with those silly little plastic strips and poker chips. As you all know, my adult self is All About The Process. I love the idea of getting my hands "dirty" while learning, and want to share this with my students. I will do this with those in my classroom. I want them to actively act like mathematicians while doing math. Manipulatives give me a way to get them elbow deep in mathematics.
That's right; Mr. K's kids will literally be up to their elbows in math. Getting physical with our numbers. Kinesthetic cognition at it's finest.
Numbers aren't what math is all about for me anymore. Sure, they get the short term job done, but in the long run I feel like I have run into problems because just knowing the numbers and rules have let me down. At some point they fall short. I was never taught to seek out those patterns that I could transfer over to suit my needs. Inevitably you end up stuck and your "rules" falter. There is nowhere for you to go but discourageville.
Discourageville is a sad and dirty little place that I don't want my students visiting.
If by shifting around poker chips for an hour kids can unlock the mystery of a function of mathematics, then it is time well spent. Yet, from my observations, those poor little cubes and slats and cards only seem to see that light of day when a child is struggling. I don't get this. It seems a natural progression to use them to introduce elements of math in order to show concepts, then move onto the numbers.
Why only bring them in to try to "save a child" when their early use could have prevented the crisis in the first place?
I couldn't agree more! I can't believe that my opinion of math has changed almost completely in only a few short weeks. I even think I might be a good math teacher! Manipulatives are my new best friends. No more discourageville for me or my students.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with using math manipulatives as a student, but compeletely see their value for my students. It seems that the more ways we can demonstrate and work through math, the more accessible it can become.
ReplyDeleteFor me as a math learner, I need to push myself to use the manipulatives, rather than always go back to the equation, because it really does give me deeper understanding of the why of math problems.
I've been totally loving the stuff we've been doing with math manipulatives as well. It's causing me to see math in a whole different light. And I'm not somebody who ever struggled with math. I get the equations. But the manipulatives make it a whole lot more fun. And real. Maybe because I'm a very tactile, and need to have something to do with my hands.
ReplyDeleteOur math class has similarly demonstrated, to my surprise, that there are more ways to use manipulatives than I realized. I understand algebra and FOIL pretty well, however using plastic pieces somehow gave me a whole new perspective. I definitely see the benefit of using them at every age. Do you think all students will comprehend math easier with them, or some may prefer to work out the math on paper more?
ReplyDelete