1. What did I learn?
I learned that you can use manipulatives for algebra- mind boggling. I forget what their called but the tiles that have different colored sides to represent positive and negative made algebra seem so logical. I can't believe I've never heard about these before. I was one of those student who struggled with algebra and the whole "foil" concept and I wish I had something like this available to me when I was in school.
2. What do I have questions about?
I guess I'm just curious about the impact using manipulatives in a higher level classroom might have. Certainly by the age kids start doing algebra they are well aware of who's good at math and who struggles. I wonder if using manipulatives would only make the difference more obvious. Of course you could always require all students to at least try the manipulatives but there are sure to be some who just prefer to do the equation straight out.
3. What are the implications for classroom practice?
I think using manipulatives in higher level math is a great idea. Just because students are older does not mean they wont benefit from having concrete examples to work with. I wonder about possible concerns from parents who are used to doing math the old way and might see the use of manipulatives as taking a step back...
I learned that you can use manipulatives for algebra- mind boggling. I forget what their called but the tiles that have different colored sides to represent positive and negative made algebra seem so logical. I can't believe I've never heard about these before. I was one of those student who struggled with algebra and the whole "foil" concept and I wish I had something like this available to me when I was in school.
2. What do I have questions about?
I guess I'm just curious about the impact using manipulatives in a higher level classroom might have. Certainly by the age kids start doing algebra they are well aware of who's good at math and who struggles. I wonder if using manipulatives would only make the difference more obvious. Of course you could always require all students to at least try the manipulatives but there are sure to be some who just prefer to do the equation straight out.
3. What are the implications for classroom practice?
I think using manipulatives in higher level math is a great idea. Just because students are older does not mean they wont benefit from having concrete examples to work with. I wonder about possible concerns from parents who are used to doing math the old way and might see the use of manipulatives as taking a step back...
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