 | ON-Math 2006-2007 | Volume 5, Number 1 | |
Mathematics teachers know that students learn in different ways and that it is important for them to teach mathematics concepts using different representations. There has been an emphasis in mathematics education on the use of concrete objects or manipulatives to represent mathematical ideas to help students deepen their conceptual understanding and communicate their thinking. In Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000), NCTM discusses the Representation Standard for grades 6–8 and recommends the following:
Teachers need to give students experiences in using a wide range of visual representations and introduce them to new forms of representations that are useful for solving certain types of problems. (NCTM 2000, p. 284)
Virtual manipulatives are an excellent addition to concrete manipulatives, drawings, spoken and written language, and other forms of representation.
This article will focus on representing computations with fractions by using virtual manipulatives available from the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. This Web site contains many worthwhile activities indexed by content strands and grade-level bands. However, the virtual manipulatives do not always have to be used for the indicated purpose. For example, the Web site suggests using Color Chips to demonstrate adding positive and negative integers, Geoboard activities to focus on geometry; and Pattern Block activities to demonstrate geometry, algebra, and measurement. However, all these virtual manipulatives can also be used to model computations with fractions.
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