Jessica Nuttall

MTHED 308
Reader Response #2
September 9, 2015
In the article Learning Mathematics with Virtual Manipulatives the author makes a claim
that there are many ideas in mathematics that are abstract, many of which are hard for students to
fully understand, and that manipulatives can help students grasp these sometimes intangible
concepts. It has been generally agreed that physical manipulatives, typically in lower grade
levels, are very effective in helping students conceptually comprehend mathematical ideas.
However, now that virtual manipulatives have emerged, this article discusses the research behind
the effectiveness of online resources.
This article discusses how virtual manipulatives can help students make connections
between visual and symbolic representations. They can physically see what the numbers and
symbols written on their papers mean and their relationship with each other. They can explore
how those relationships change as they manipulate the objects.
As opposed to a finite set of concrete manipulatives, the research shows that virtual
manipulatives lead to more complex understandings, in part because of the unlimited amount of
materials available. The versatility of online manipulatives (size, color, amount, and placement)
also allows students to create more examples than with physical objects. They also allow
students of another language to communicate their ideas more effectively. Not only by simply
changing the language to their native tongue but also by expressing their ideas through the
virtual tool.
Another benefit to virtual manipulatives is that they can often provide individualized
scaffolding as needed through hints, feedback, and the overall structure of the task. This can be
beneficial for individual students in large classrooms where the teacher simply cannot be

everywhere at once. At the same time this has an important implication for teachers to be aware
of the scaffolding that is inherent in the virtual task to be sure it is integrated into the curriculum
that has been established. Teachers also must be aware of when very explicit guidance must be
given to students so they can focus on specific learning goals. Virtual manipulatives are a great
way to allow for exploration and conjecture making; however, the teacher still plays a vital role
in keeping things focused around specific mathematical ideas to be learned.
This article also cites the specific case-studies which showed that overall, those students
who received the Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) sequence of instruction
significantly outperformed those who received the Representational-Abstract (RA) approach.
The main difference between the two is that the CRA approach included a time where students
explored with concrete manipulatives before receiving traditional instruction.

I think this article has a huge implication for us as educators. As society continues to shift
towards technology we can take advantage of the tools it offers in helping students learn. I think
that the use of technology can also help students have an increased motivation to work on tasks
because they are often framed as games. The teacher must be aware however that students are
not just following the rules of a game but are conceptually understanding what they are doing.
This is why a sequence of a variety of tasks, virtual and traditional, can benefit students learning.
Virtual tools also helps students communicate their ideas in a more sophisticated manner which
can make it easier for teachers to identify where students are having misconceptions and why.
Teachers can also carefully select technology with specific scaffolding, hints, and feedback that
can be accessed as needed by the students. This allows the teacher to be many places at once,
which solves one of the most difficult challenges teachers have of trying to help a whole

classroom of students with varying understandings of the material. I also support the research
that shows that students who are given the opportunity to use manipulatives gain a better
understanding of the mathematics.
As classrooms become more and more diverse, the fact that virtual manipulatives help
sophisticate and simplify communication about mathematics between languages is another
appealing aspect of using virtual manipulatives in the classroom. This issue will be increasingly
emerging and the technology available can help solve it.

Personally, I believe that if used with caution, the technology we have available can help
a great deal in a diverse classroom. I love that the structure of online games and programs allow
students to access help as needed without the need of a teacher. It also allows for low threshold
and high ceiling tasks. I also think that it will increase students motivation to work on tasks
inside and outside the classroom. It can also help breakdown language and communication
barriers. The versatility that technology offers can allow students to explore deeper and more
complex ideas. When I use technology in my classroom, I will do so with these goals in mind
and with careful and explicit instruction as need to keep students on task.