Manipulatives use in mathematics education has been at the forefront of conservation when it comes to pertains to learning standards and common core state standards. Manipulatives are mainly used at the elementary level to introduce new concepts in math. They can provide a concrete representation of a number or mathematical equation. Shaw (2002) states, “manipulatives help students develop conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas by representing the ideas in multiple ways”. With the increase in technology, virtual manipulatives have become just as popular as concrete manipulatives to represent mathematical ideas. Students use the same concepts and strategies practiced with concrete manipulatives, except now on a device through a web page
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P., Bryant, B. R., McKenna, J. W., Hou, F., & Ok, M. W. took a close look at using virtual manipulatives with students who have diagnosed learning disabilities. The article identifies the benefits of using virtual manipulatives and the potential challenges that come with using these tools for instructional purposes. It is suggested that students with learning disabilities can benefit from using visual models (e.g., Shin & D. P. Bryant, 2015). This suggestion doesn’t come without merit because, “of their potential in helping students to better understand the meaning and relationship of fractions through relevant diagrams” (p.1). Fractions concepts can be a struggle for an average learner, so the use of manipulatives during this instructions for students with learning disabilities it beyond useful. The authors outline serval benefits to using virtual manipulatives with students who have learning disabilities. First virtual manipulatives aid students to follow their virtual mental images on the screen using constructed in visual and numeric models. The constructing and manipulating of these tolls can sometimes be frustrating, so having them on screen allows for easier model construction. Second, the application of virtual manipulatives serves as an individualized accommodation of students with learning disabilities and mathematics troubles. Students with diagnosed disabilities are required to have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in place, this IEP outlines accommodations or adjustments for the students (Byrnes, 2010), and both concrete and virtual manipulatives lend themselves to be an extremely beneficial accommodations for students with a learning disability. Third, the practice of virtual manipulatives tools allows students to actively engage in their learning. More meaningful learning takes place when students are actively engaged in the lesson being taught. Finally,
P., Bryant, B. R., McKenna, J. W., Hou, F., & Ok, M. W. took a close look at using virtual manipulatives with students who have diagnosed learning disabilities. The article identifies the benefits of using virtual manipulatives and the potential challenges that come with using these tools for instructional purposes. It is suggested that students with learning disabilities can benefit from using visual models (e.g., Shin & D. P. Bryant, 2015). This suggestion doesn’t come without merit because, “of their potential in helping students to better understand the meaning and relationship of fractions through relevant diagrams” (p.1). Fractions concepts can be a struggle for an average learner, so the use of manipulatives during this instructions for students with learning disabilities it beyond useful. The authors outline serval benefits to using virtual manipulatives with students who have learning disabilities. First virtual manipulatives aid students to follow their virtual mental images on the screen using constructed in visual and numeric models. The constructing and manipulating of these tolls can sometimes be frustrating, so having them on screen allows for easier model construction. Second, the application of virtual manipulatives serves as an individualized accommodation of students with learning disabilities and mathematics troubles. Students with diagnosed disabilities are required to have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) in place, this IEP outlines accommodations or adjustments for the students (Byrnes, 2010), and both concrete and virtual manipulatives lend themselves to be an extremely beneficial accommodations for students with a learning disability. Third, the practice of virtual manipulatives tools allows students to actively engage in their learning. More meaningful learning takes place when students are actively engaged in the lesson being taught. Finally,