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Introduction:, Virtual manipulatives, Differences between physical and…
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- A manipulative within the mathematical context refers to physical objects or materials that can be used in the classroom in order to help learners make meaningful connections to mathematical concepts as well as real-life situations
- Teachers use them as they appeal to the senses and diverse needs of each learner in the classroom.
- A manipulative can either be physical or virtual.
- The use of manipulatives in a Foundation Phase mathematics classroom can be a fundamental part of childrens' learning journey and therefore it is important for teachers to develop an understand of this importance and make use of various manipulate in the classroom.
This essay aims to evaluate the effectiveness of using physical and virtual manipulatives within a foundation phase mathematics classroom.
Firstly by discussing the definitions and theoretical frameworks of manipulatives.
Secondly it will compare physical and virtual manipulatives followed by examples of practical applications that can be implemented using manipulatives in the classroom. Lastly, a descriptive example of a small group mathematics lesson will be given.
- Defined by Durmus and Karakirik (2006:121) as an interactive and online visual tool that synamically represents objects and provides learners with opportunities for building mathematical knowledge.
- These types of manipultives are helpful as they give learners insights into different mathematical concepts.
- They are different to physical manipulatives as they do not offer hands-on experiences but rather provide interactive environments where a learner is able to pose and solve their own problems, helping them form connections between various mathematical concepts. Virtual manipulatives also offer immediate feedback on learners actions and help them reflect on their own understandings (Durmus & Karakirik, 2006:121)
- Money counting applications, digital counters, interacitve hundreds charts and virtual number lines
- Virtual manipulatives cater to the learning needs of visual and auditory learners. Furthermore, these types of manipulatives will be helpful for learners who are reflective observers, who prefer to learn through watching instead of taking action (Mays, Grosser & de Jager, 2012:429)
- Takaya, (2008: 9) explains Theorist Jerome Bruner notes that intuitive thinking is more visual and focused on the understanding of an overall problems rather than just the indivudual parts.
- This emphasises the importance of visual nature and intuitive thinking which further links to the value that virtual manipulatives have on learning. Virtual tools allow learners to engage with various mathematical concepts in a visual way, helping them grasp the overall struture of a problem as Bruner suggests. Therefore, virtual manipulatives provide learners with an interactive platform where they are able to visualise mathematival concepts.
- There are various similarities between physical and virtual manipulatives in the classroom.
- Both types of manipulatives have the potential to enhance the learning environment. (Hunt, Nipper & Nash, 2011: 3) Furthermore, they emphasise that virttual manipulatives can be just as engaging as physical manipulatives as they have an equally strong effect on understanding mathematics..
- Durmus and Karakirik (2006:121) highlight that virtual manipulatives are able to create as much engagement as that of physical manpulatives. This is because, both of these manipulatives help learners develop insight into mathematical concepts through visual representations as well as active engagement.
- Both physical and virtual manipulatives can be used to reinforce understanding and faciliate learning within the south african foundation phase classroom.
- A blended learning approach can be implemented, where both physical and virtual manipulatives are combine in lessons in order to address the diverse learning needs found within a typical South African classroom. For example, a teacher may start a lesson using physical manipulatives and hands-on activities and thereafter use virtual tools to reinforce the explanations given.
One of the main differences between a physical and virtual manipulative is the way in which they can be interacted with. A physical manipulative takes the form of tangible objects such as blocks and can be used for hands-on activties, whereas, virtual manipulatives offers dynamic and visual representations on a screen.
- Oymak and Bekiroglu (2021:27) explain that research has found that virtual manipulatives are found more effective for improving the knowledge of difficult concepts than physical manipulatives.
- Virtual manipulatives sometimes have advantages over physical manipulatives as they can overcome some of the limitations set by physical manipulatives. (Durmus & karakirik, 2006:121). For example, if a teacher needed blocks for every learner in her class in order to teach a topic using physical manipulatives, she may face the challenge of not having enough resources to accomodate for the amount of children in her class, this is relevant within the South African context as most classrooms in South Africa have a large number of learners. By making use of virtual manipulatives, the teacher will not need to worry about having a certain amount of a resource as it is readily and easily accessible. Therefore, in some situations, virtual manipulative prove more flexible and advantageous.