Manipulatives Are Defined As Objects That Appeal to Several Senses and That Can Be Touched

Komawi S. Hinton

Manipulatives are defined as “objects that appeal to several senses and that can be touched, moved about, rearranged, and otherwise handled by children”(Kennedy, 1986, p. 6). These are one way of making mathematics learning more meaningful to students. Manipulatives have an important place. They often can be used in a rote manner. … Students may require concrete materials to build meaning initially, but they must reflect on their actions with manipulatives to do so. Children learn better if they are using hands-on manipulatives while working math problems. They can see the results of the problem and help them to understand what has taken place within the problem. A manipulative can be anything that a student can use to aid them in solving a problem. Teacher can make their own manipulative out of coins, blocks, or any object they would like to use. Teachers have to asses the students as they use manipulatives to make sure they are grasping the understanding of problem solving. When students understand problem solving they construct meaning and knowledge through interacting with their environment, teacher, materials, and other children whom they are in contact with.

In support of this theory I believe that students and teachers engaged in active learning. Multiple learning and different teaching approaches help with student diversity. Teachers who use manipulatives in the classroom require different types of instruction to meet all the needs of each student. Teachers also should know when, how, and why to use manipulatives in order for the students to gain the information they need to solve the problems. Teachers should go over safety rules for using manipulatives. are not toys and should not be dressed to the students as toys. Teachers who consistently and effectively use manipulatives show students that using concrete objects to understand abstract concepts is acceptable and expected.