MANIPULATIV

E
MEDIA
 What is a
manipulative
media?
 Object
s
Activiti
Manipulati es
ve Media
Progra
ms

Applicati
on
Building
Blocks

Lego
Clay

Alphabe
t Blocks
 classtool.
net

makebeliefscomi
x. com
 Brief
History
Johann
Heinrich
Pestalozzi
(1746 –
1827)
 Swiss pedagogue
educational reformer who
exemplified Romanticism in his
approach
first person who strongly believed
and advocated the use of hands-on-
learning or manipulative
 specifically as an educational tool
created “Pestalozzi Method” as hands-on lea
motto is “Learning by Head, Heart, and Hand
 Children must first understand what is
concrete before abstract concepts.
Friedrich
Wilhelm August
Fröbel

(1782 – 1852)
 German pedagogue

a student of Pestalozzi

laid the foundation for modern education

“Father of kindergarten”
developed the educational toys known
as Froebel Gifts or Frobelgaben
included geometric building
blocks and pattern activity
blocks
Maria Tecla
Artemesia
Montessori

(1870 –
1952)
An Italian physician and educator

 developed the use of manipulative

Goal “learn through personal

investigation and exploration”

Her gifts are multisensory,

sequential and self-correcting
materials
“Montessori Method of Learning”

 stresses development of a
child's own initiative and

natural abilities, especially

through practical play
Jean Piaget

(1896 –
1980)
Swiss developmental psychologist and philo

outlined a particular cognitive

development of children

stressing the importance of concrete operat

in the primary stages of knowledge formatio

Says, children must first construct
knowledge through “concrete
operations” before moving on to
“formal operations
Main Functions of
Manipulative
Allows a student to:
 Connect ideas and concept to
physical
objects, and
Promote a better
understanding.
 Types Of
Manipulative
Media
Traditional/Concrete Manipul
 Concrete or physical object

 Present since the advent of

computer
 These are objects from the real world
that can be moved, assembled,
disassembled, etc. to show a
concept.
Traditional/Concrete Manipul

Real Field
Objects Models Trips
Real Objects
Most accessible and involving material
in educational use
There is no substitute for the real thing
when learning some tasks
They give meaning to otherwise, abstract w
May be modified to make instruction
better
Real Objects
• currencies
• tools
• plants
• artifacts
The Attribute Blocks can
be used to teach sorting,
patterns, and identifying
attributes.
The Attribute Blocks set includes five
basic shapes (triangle, square,
rectangle, circle, and hexagon)
displaying different attributes. The
basic shapes come in three different
colors, two different sizes, and two
different thicknesses. Attribute
Blocks can be used to teach sorting,
patterns, and identifying attributes.
These Geared Clocks
allow children to explore
telling time on analog
clocks and calculating
elapsed time.
These Geared Clocks are made of
plastic and have hidden gears that
reflect accurate hour and minute
relationships. The hour and
minute hands are color-coded to
match hour and minute markings
on the clock face. Clocks allow
children to explore telling time on
analog clocks and calculating
Two-Color Counters s can
also be used to introduce
students to basic ideas of
probability.
These versatile Two-Color Counters
are thicker than most other counters
and easy for students to manipulate.
They can be used to teach number
and operations concepts, such as
patterning, addition and
subtraction, and multiplication and
division. Counters can also be used
to introduce students to basic ideas
Color Cubes
They help children
through hands-on
exploration of basic
mathematics and
geometric
relationships as they
stack, count, sort, and
work with patterns.
Color Cubes are available in
manipulate® and wood, and six
different colors in a set: red,
orange, yellow, green, blue, and
purple. They help children through
hands-on exploration of basic
mathematics and geometric
relationships as they stack, count,
sort, and work with patterns.
Pattern Blocks makes it possible for the shapes to
nest together and provides for a wide range of
explorations
Pattern Blocks are a collection of six
shapes in six colors—green triangles,
orange squares, blue parallelograms,
tan rhombuses, red trapezoids, and
yellow hexagons. The shapes are
designed so that the sides are all the
same length except for the trapezoid,
which has one side that is twice as
long. This feature makes it possible for
the shapes to nest together and
Advantages of Concrete Manipulative
Simpler, more moveable
Tactile experience adds a dimension of lea
Allows student to be more creative selectin
Student has more control
Process is traceable
Allows trial and error
 Units are easier to distinguish, make
the whole easier to see
 Easier to relate to real-world applications
 Less expensive than technology
Allows me to be more cognitive of the
operations I am performing
Requires more thinking

I was able to think about what it

actually means to multiply and divide
fractions
Allows teacher to involve the whole class
in an interactive lesson
Allow information to be received
visually and kinesthetically
Learning through play
Requires more thinking
Disadvantages of Concrete
Manipulative
 Limited in the fractions that can be
used (i.e., you have only a few
denominators)
Can’t actually see the numbers on the
manipulatives so you may miss the
concept
Requires internal affirmation rather than ext
No feedback on whether you are right or wr

Not very challenging

Doesn’t allow you to add or subtract

fractions in your head (Math)

Children focus on manipulative instead

of the instruction
Needs Supervision
Models
three-dimensional representations
of a real thing
can provide learning experiences
that real things can’t provide
 can be disassembled to provide interio
can be larger or smaller than the
real object they represent
Models
Anatomical models
Molecular models
Animal models
Play money
Models of buildings
Educational
Use:
assembly activities

cultural artifacts

 mark-ups used in most

industrial training (ex. Flight
simulator)
Real Object and Models:
\

Familiarize yourself
Practice your presentation

Make sure the audience doesn’t get

the wrong impression
Encourage the students to handle and
manipulate the objects and model
Field Trips
Excursion outside the classroom

For first-hand experience

Students can encounter phenomena

that can’t be brought into the
classroom
Particularly valuable for learners who
have kinesthetic perceptual strength
Digital/Virtual Manipulative
Integration of traditional media
enable physical objects to move,
sense, and interact with one another
-- and, as a result, make systems-
related concepts more salient to
(can be manipulated by) children
 Concrete vs. Virtual Manipulatives

•Virtual manipulatives are more

practical for teachers than concrete
manipulatives due to issues on
homeroom management.
• Virtual manipulatives depends on the
availability of computers and requires
some basic computer skills from both
 Concrete vs. Virtual
Manipulative
•Virtual manipulatives need no clean
up unlike concrete manipulatives
•Virtual manipulatives’ appearance can
be easily reformatted unlike concrete
manipulatives
 Advantages of Digital Media
 Fun learning tool

 Improves problem solving skills

 Increases motivation
 Catches attention

 Availability at home
 Advantages of Digital Media

 Student centered

 Discovery learning
 Disadvantages of Digital Media
may lead to misconception of some
ideas (color, size, etc.)

some students may not be able to grasp

the abstract concept represented by the
manipulatives
 may consume too much time
 Disadvantages of Digital Media

 expensive

 Not accessible to all

References
http://chingcamposano.wixsite.com/
manipulative-media/virtual-and-
digital
https://prezi.com/qxfqfuxofs0u/copy
-of-manipulative-media/
http://nanananylie.wixsite.com/manip
ulative-media
http://manipulativesmedia.weebly.co
m/traditional.html