Manipulative Reflection

How do you know students deepen their understanding while using manipulatives?

• Students can deepen their understanding using manipulatives because the students are hands on and involved in the process of learning. When students are actually able to create and represent objects using manipulatives, they are able to visually see the process and are better able to understand the math concept.

How do you know if the students can transfer their understanding from manipulatives to other situations?

• I will know if a student is able to transfer their understanding by having open class discussions. Students will discuss and compare and contrast different ideas that came up during the manipulative session. Listening to the student led discussion will allow me to see if the students were able to take away information from the activity. I could then have the students split up into groups and see if they could solve a real world problem utilizing their knowledge from the manipulative activity.

 

How can you assess that understanding or growth?

• I could lead a class discussion about the topic, then let the students work with the manipulatives, and then have a closing discussion. This way I can see what thoughts and ideas existed before and after the manipulative activity to see what growth was acquired from the manipulatives.

 

When students work in groups, how do you hold each youngster accountable for learning?

• I would assign roles to each student in a group (recorder, directions, and two people using the manipulatives). Then every few minutes I would rotate the roles. This way each student has the opportunity to be hands on with the manipulatives, give ideas and directions as to how to use the manipulatives, as well as listen and record the group member's ideas. By setting these roles, each student has a job to do within the group. This was each student is accountable to learning and participating within the activity.

 

When students work in groups, how do you assess each youngster’s depth of understanding?

• I could assess their depth of understanding informally by listening to each group as they work together. I could also assess more formally by having the students submit a reflection assessment as well as answer a few questions regarding the topic covered by the manipulative activity.