Definition q In Mathematics, manipulative is known as some objects that are designed for learner in order go to perceive some mathematical

concept by manipulating it. The use of manipulative provides a way for children to learn mathematical concept through more developmentally appropriate, hands on and experiencing ways. By this way, it will promote experiential learning and hence make the learning more fun and easier to understand. Manipulatives play an important in young childrens mathematical concept building. These concrete objects facilitate children understanding and helps them to link the ideas in mathematical concepts to represent and abstract ideas. In other word, manipulatives allows students to explore the mathematical in active and hands on approach and therefore help in connecting the concept with the physical objects thus creating a better understanding. Manipulatives can be almost everything, from block, shapes, spinner, for example such as interlocking cube and tile. Since ancient times, people of different civilization used physical objects to solve the everyday math problems. The ancient civilization of South West Asia used counting boards which were wooden or clay trays. This counting board is used as the tools to be counting what else that needs to be count. This counting board were later adapted and abacus was created. Around late 1800s, the invention of the first true manipulative maneuverable objects that appeal several different senses was designed for teaching mathematical concept. Then, until 1837, the pioneer of kindergarten, German Educator, Friedrich Froebel designed the educational play materials known as Froebel Gifts. The Froebel Gifts included geometric building blocks and pattern activity blocks. Manipulatives is important in building understanding and clarifying concepts. Manipulatives help students to develop the conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas by representing the ideas in multiple ways. For example, in order to help students to understand fractions better, fractions models where usually it is block is used. Cognitively, students who are in very young age such as those from 5 to 9 years old will not be able to build the mental image inside of their mind; therefore, the fraction models will be really handy in teaching the students to differentiate which is smaller and which is larger. Take for example is greater than 1/8, if there is no appropriate model they will mistaken 1/8 is greater than

since the denominator 8 is larger than 2. It is also important to recognize that when there is less confusion or conflict of mathematical ideas in a students mind, then, fewer or lesser meaningless rules will be remember or commit to the memory. That is the reason why visualizing is somewhat more easy memorize compare to just working with numbers. Besides, by using manipulatives, it is said to be more interactive and will helps in engagement, communication and multisensory experiences in learning process. In addition to help students to builder deeper understanding, using manipulatives as the teaching tools is encouraged in engaging the students in learning process. Students need opportunities to test their ideas on the basis of shared knowledge in the mathematical community of t he classroom to see whether they can be understood and if they are sufficiently convincing. (NTCM, p.61). This means that, when students can look at something visually that represent the mathematical concept, they are more engage and will have more accessibilities to the language that describe the concepts. Learning will be also greatly enhanced when they get in touch with the certain concept. For example, in learning polygons, polygon models that shown to the students will be able to give them a vivid image as compare to imagination. Topics chosen, manipulatives and activities For the purpose of the report, I had chosen topic in Year 2 syllabus according to KSSR Standard Document that is Measurement and Geometry- Space. Under this topic, the Year 2 students are supposed to recognize the 3 dimension shape as well as 2 dimension shape. So according to the topic, it is said that students should learn about the attributes of 3D and 2D shape. The concept of 3D and 2D shape is an easy topic to be taught, but if the topic being taught lightly it might form misconception. For example, by saying that 3D shape is something that can be touch, so what if triangle in 2D shape being cut off from paper and let the students touch, students can feel the edges and the sides of the triangle, would it still be consider as 3D shape? No, thats not it. Therefore, to teach the concept of 3D shape and 2D shape to our students, we can use the manipulatives. First manipulatives is attribute blocks or also known as geometric blocks. It is a great tool for classroom activities. The set usually contains 5 different shapes with different

colours and size. By using the geometric, teacher can teach the classification of the geometric figures, symmetry of geometric figure, patterning similarities and congruence, angles as well as develop the math language. For the attribute blocks, teacher can conducted the activity Build Me. This activity is an activity that can promote students creativity as well as develop their math language and know each attributes of the shapes that they had created. This activity is a group activity. Each group are required to build as much as they can and able to describe it appropriately. For example, the group is building the pyramid, then they will explain, the square based pyramid is made up of 1 square and 3 triangle. After that, they will say the sides and the edges from what they had observed. From this activity, students will learn about 2D shapes as well as building the 3D shapes on their own. This activity helps in enhance their understanding and challenge their creativity since they are building their own shape which was quite a difficult task for a Year 2 class. Besides, children in very young age like to play, that is the reason playing while learning will more engage them in the learning process. In addition, the blocks is designed in different colours, this will help the children in finding the pattern and figure out what should come next every time they are trying to build the polygons. Second manipulatives that can be use in teaching the topic is geometric board. The geometric board is very much likely like the geometric blocks, what makes them different is that geometric board can only being used to teach the 2D shape. From geometric board, we can design an activity that is The Blind Man. This activity is based on the story of the six blind men and the elephants, where the students will be blindfolded and ask to touch the shapes on the geometric board and guess it. Instead of making it as individual activity, it is better if the activity is being done in a group. Where every group will choose the representative to blindfold and touch, then, the blindfolded one will be describe what he had touched and then let his team mates to guess. If we look back to the definition of the manipulatives, it had said that manipulatives also used to stimulate childrens multisensory. Therefore, in this activity, the manipulatives help in enhance their sensory, that is sense of touch and hence make them remember clearly the attributes of the shapes. It is important for young children to use their sense of touch, because it will helps in developing the children mind image and will likely to help the children to build more abstract mathematical

concepts when they are in higher grades. This shows the Confucius saying, I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand is proves to be true. Another topic that I will like to choose is Number and Operation- Fraction under the KSSR Standard Document Year 3 syllabus. In the end of topic, students should be able to know and decide the fraction with the denominator until 10, change the fraction into the simplest and state the improper fraction. The reason for choosing the topic of fraction is that young children often had difficulties to understand the concept of fraction. Fraction is always confusing and they always do not know which is greater than the other. In this situation, they will most probably choosing the denominator with the greater number because they assume that it will be same with the round number where the number that is ascending is greater. Therefore, using a manipulatives is a must in teaching the fraction concept. First, we can use of the fraction kits in teaching fraction. These fraction kits come in different configuration such as 1 whole, 2 halves, 3 thirds, 4 quarters, 5 fifth, 6 sixth, 8 eights, 10 tenths and many more. They are also come in different shape such as circular fraction tiles, square fraction tiles and also long strip fraction tiles. By using this fraction kits, teacher can teach about fraction as well as to build the mathematics language. For the activity, it is a group work, where each group will be given each set of the configuration of the fraction kits. This activity aims to help the students to know about the fraction better. For example, teacher will say 3/7, and then the students should be divided 3 of the tiles from the other tiles. From the activity, students will able to name the fraction properly as well as knowing the basic fraction. The activity also helps in building the mathematic language among the students that they able to read and state the amount correctly. For example, 3/7 is read as 3 per 7. Another manipulatives that can be used in teaching fraction concept is fraction stacks or fraction bars. Like the name of manipulatives, this manipulatives is obviously is to build the tower based on the stacks. The fraction stacks similar with fraction tiles too, it come in different configuration and hence helps students to know the amount of the fraction whether it is greater or smaller than the other. Fraction stacks with different configuration is build in the same height, therefore, the students will be able to find the differences of the tower they build by the

stacks. Hence, an activity name Build Me High is specially designed and planned by using the fraction stacks. According to this activity, teacher will ask students to compare the amount of the fraction by using the stacks. The higher the fraction stacks, the greater the fraction will be. For example, compare 3/8 with , which is greater. Then from the 8 eighth stacks, students will take out 3 and from 2 halves take out 1 and then students will compare the height. From this activity students will surprisingly discover that is greater than 3/8. The activity encourages and promotes students learning by practicing the constructivism. Students construct and create their own learning by discovery and hence deepen the mathematical concept in them. Suggestion To promote successful learning, few ways can be taken so that the planning of the lesson will be go on successfully by using concrete manipulatives. Students who make their own models of mathematical ideas gain a powerful means of building understanding and explaining their thinking to others. Constructing such representations allows students to see relationships and to make connections between the concrete and the abstract, it helps students to remember how they solved a problem, and helps students to communicate their reasoning. Students may solve a problem correctly and, when asked how they did it, answer that they just knew. If they use a self-designed model to explain their thinking, they are better able to articulate their reasoning. Moreover, if students use multiple representations for concepts, they develop flexibility in their thinking about such concepts. They are not inclined to perceive any single concrete representation as the math but will see it rather as just one of many representations that help them understand a concept. For example, students who have seen only one manipulative, such as 2 halves tiles and 8 eighth tiles to compare the difference between the amount. Manipulatives are also a valuable aid to teachers. One of the ways is by changing the fraction tiles into a more concrete manipulatives such as chocolate. Chocolate has bar which can use as the similar function as fraction tiles in order to teach the earlier stage of the fraction that is to know the fraction. This chocolate system might as well as act as a reward system. If the students already master the topics, students are given chocolate to eat. How we can use chocolate as manipulatives? As we can see,

chocolate has chocolate bar, therefore, teacher can ask students to take, for example, 3 out of 8 chocolate and so on. Besides, in order to make sure the successful of the learning, an assessment is a must to test whether the students understand or comprehend the topic. For example, students are given worksheet to classify the objects of different shapes. If students able to answer let say 8 out of 10 questions in the worksheet, students are said to be comprehend and understand the topic.

Conclusion Early examples of the benefits of a manipulative-based mathematics program can be seen in kindergarten and primary classrooms where young children are using manipulatives, such as fraction stacks to learn about fraction and compare the amount of the fraction. Besides, using geometric board will stimulate a childe sensory and hence let the children learn the concept by feeling it. Realizing this, one might ask Would it be as easy to teach young children these more abstract concepts without manipulatives? Probably not, and, in turn, isn't it plausible to surmise that middle and high school students who might struggle with math and discontinue math classes altogether after requirements are met, might also benefit from teacher encouragement through manipulative use. If manipulative use becomes an integral part of the academic structure for all students in mathematics classrooms, it may keep more students in higher-level math classes through college and beyond. That is also the reason why the conventional mathematics learning will always make the students scared to learn, because mathematical concept is often something abstract, with concrete examples and let the students to experience their own learning, mathematics is easy to learn. Students quickly pick up on what teachers verbal and body language tells them very quickly, particularly when it effects overall self-esteem and confidence. If teachers send messages to students that "only less able students need manipulatives" or "you don't need those anymore, do you?", students will be begin to devalue and stop using manipulatives and reduce their own chances for success in mathematics overall. Usually students will naturally choose tools that will best help them learn a particular concept, and, if manipulatives help to make mathematics come

to life, they should be encouraged. Finally, I totally agree if the used of the manipulatives is encouraged in the classroom because it would be beneficial for longitudinal study on the year-to-year transfer of childrens problem solving abilities with manipulatives to be examined. Not only would it benefit teachers and parents, but also future employers and businesses.

Summary Manipulatives in Mathematics

Definition: Tools in teaching mathematics Objects that used by manipulating it Hands on approach in understanding the mathematical concept. Using multisensory Promote experiential learning.

Why? Linking and represents abstract idea Build math language Engaging in learning process Build concrete image rather than mental image Helps in constructivism, construct own idea.

Manipulatives: Measurement and Geometry- Space (year2) - Geometric blocks and geometric board Number and Operation- Fraction (year 3) - Fraction tiles and fraction stacks

Measurement and Geometry- Space

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Geometric blocks

Geometric board

Number and Operation- Fraction

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Fraction kits

Fraction stacks