The Use of Manipulatives in the Classroom

Research has proven that the use of math manipulatives can further deepen students understanding of math concepts.  It provides students a way to visually show their thinking as well as problem solve.  Manipulatives also provides students the opportunity to connect ideas and reason in more meaningful ways.  The use of manipulatives is a change of pace from solely working on worksheets or completing tasks in a textbook.  Lastly, allowing students to be hands on with manipulatives will provide another way to differentiate learning.

How can we build math fluency in the classroom?

According to NCTM president, Linda M. Gojak, building fluency should involve more than speed and accuracy. It must reach beyond procedures and computaiton.  Focusing on efficiency rather than speed means valuing students' ability to use strategic thinking to carry out a computiation with being hindered by processes or steps.  Accuracy extends beyond just getting the correct answer.  It involves considering the meaning of an operation, recording work carefully, and aking oneself whether the solution is reasonable.  Math fluency is solely mental math using their understanding of the problem.  Read more on this at NCTM Math Fluency

How can we effectively implement math fluency in and out the classroom?

• Lean on what students already know and understand
• Model questions students should be asking themselves when solving a problem
• Build student's number sense