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Post by Judy on Dec 7, 2020 9:16:25 GMT
For those of you working with older learners and adults; do you find that they are open to using manipulatives and if so which ones do they respond to best ?
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Jenny
Junior Member
Posts: 50
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Post by Jenny on Dec 7, 2020 22:12:16 GMT
I work with Year 6 children in a school which doesn't seem to use manipulatives in KS2. My struggling students, who I teach individually, really enjoy using them. They think that Cuisenaire rods and number stacks counters are really nice to use and feel like they are getting a special treat when they use them. I've used place value arrow cards and rekenreks occasionally to support in class work too and those children have also been positive. One of the teachers that I work with seems to be growing in enthusiasm for manipulatives for the students who struggle but says that the school just doesn't provide enough.
Maybe I should try using manipulatives with the two high achieving students and see if they like them or whether they think they are 'above' such things.
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Post by catherine on Dec 8, 2020 10:48:39 GMT
I am using manipulatives - mainly Cuisenaire rods - with a 13 year old for 2 digit addition and subtraction and she is fine using them with me but not at school. With a 14 year old who struggles with maths, she is happy to use manipulatives as a starting point but wants to use alternatives as soon as possible. I have only just begun working with her so am encouraging her to use the alternative and then the manipulative so she doesn’t see using manipulatives for only when she gets something wrong or can’t do it.
I regularly use algebra tiles with Year 9 - 11 as it really helps them create a picture in their head. After just one hour using them, one Year 10 was able to factorise quadratics in her head as she could ‘see’ it so clearly. I also use double sided counters for negative numbers very successfully.
For older students and adults, I think it can depend on your relationship with you, whether they trust you that using manipulatives is best for them as many come with preconceptions that they are only for very young children. Once they see that they can help them understand and not use them forever, they actually enjoy the increased understanding that they bring.
I think that, using online manipulatives has taken away some of the potential stigma from manipulatives as children are used to seeing other ‘tools’ in other subjects for providing clarification. I have found that everyone I work with is happy to use the online ones but takes more persuasion to use the physical ones.
I have also found that for very bright children who do not have the mathematical language to explain proofs, etc, they can use manipulatives to demonstrate these, which gives them a great sense of achievement.
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Post by Sue Carter on Dec 8, 2020 15:01:38 GMT
Working in a secondary school, manipulatives are not as a rule used in class. However, in my interventions I use Numicon; place value arrow cards and counters as well as place value sliders; counters (for arrays and factors) and Cuisenaire rods for ratio, fractions and percentages of a number. The younger students (particularly year 7) usually appreciate the familiarity of materials from Primary school and enjoy using them. The older pupils are definitely more reluctant to use manipulatives and as Catherine said above, they have the preconception that they are only for younger pupils. However, they will use them when they see how they can help them grasp a concept. However, since they don't have access to those same resources in class, they quickly need to be able to grasp the concept without the manipulatives. They certainly help with many teaching points.
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Lina
New Member
Posts: 17
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Post by Lina on Dec 11, 2020 20:36:41 GMT
A few years ago I worked briefly at an FE college teaching numeracy to adult learners with LD. I used a giant dice, hundred squares, counters, dominoes, playing cards and unifix cubes. When I first took the unfix cubes from the maths cupboard, I saw that they were like new; unused by previous tutors. They didn't have Numicon or Cuisenaire. All the learners (including the more streetwise ones) enjoyed using the manipulatives.
A couple of weeks ago, when I was working with my eldest son who is in year 9, I took out the Cuisenaire rods to explain a ratio problem that he didn't understand. He understood the probelm and was very enthusiastic about using the rods in the safety of his home. I think that it would be a different story if he was offered them at school.
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Post by Judy on Dec 15, 2020 11:04:15 GMT
I work with Year 6 children in a school which doesn't seem to use manipulatives in KS2. My struggling students, who I teach individually, really enjoy using them. They think that Cuisenaire rods and number stacks counters are really nice to use and feel like they are getting a special treat when they use them. I've used place value arrow cards and rekenreks occasionally to support in class work too and those children have also been positive. One of the teachers that I work with seems to be growing in enthusiasm for manipulatives for the students who struggle but says that the school just doesn't provide enough. Maybe I should try using manipulatives with the two high achieving students and see if they like them or whether they think they are 'above' such things. That would be interesting as these learners often feel that the manipultvies are just for the stuggling children |
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Post by Judy on Dec 15, 2020 11:05:37 GMT
A few years ago I worked briefly at an FE college teaching numeracy to adult learners with LD. I used a giant dice, hundred squares, counters, dominoes, playing cards and unifix cubes. When I first took the unfix cubes from the maths cupboard, I saw that they were like new; unused by previous tutors. They didn't have Numicon or Cuisenaire. All the learners (including the more streetwise ones) enjoyed using the manipulatives. A couple of weeks ago, when I was working with my eldest son who is in year 9, I took out the Cuisenaire rods to explain a ratio problem that he didn't understand. He understood the probelm and was very enthusiastic about using the rods in the safety of his home. I think that it would be a different story if he was offered them at school. It is such a shame that these are widely used in secondary schools- it would make life so much easier for the teachers and the pupils. I can't imagine teaching without them! |
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Post by Judy on Dec 15, 2020 11:06:37 GMT
Working in a secondary school, manipulatives are not as a rule used in class. However, in my interventions I use Numicon; place value arrow cards and counters as well as place value sliders; counters (for arrays and factors) and Cuisenaire rods for ratio, fractions and percentages of a number. The younger students (particularly year 7) usually appreciate the familiarity of materials from Primary school and enjoy using them. The older pupils are definitely more reluctant to use manipulatives and as Catherine said above, they have the preconception that they are only for younger pupils. However, they will use them when they see how they can help them grasp a concept. However, since they don't have access to those same resources in class, they quickly need to be able to grasp the concept without the manipulatives. They certainly help with many teaching points. Maybe they would be more open to virtual manipulatives- using Mathsbot.com? |
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