This week was a learning experience for me. Growing up, we never used manipulatives to help us figure out our math problems. It wasn’t until a year ago that I was introduced to them and really found them a great tool. This week was the first time I used algebra tiles to add and subtract polynomials. I thought it was interesting that they had a red side for positive and either a blue, yellow or green side to represent negative. I learned about the grid you can form with a y and an x axis to multiply too! For math, I learned that manipulatives make something concrete and turn it into the abstract. The other thing that was brought to my attention was the fact that subtraction was addition in the inverse (not take away) and division is the multiplication of the reciprocal.
I had a question about the algebra tiles – why is there one color to represent a positive and the negative was represented differently on the three different shapes? Also, what else could I use these for (besides what we were showed in class)? Could we use them for something else? Could I use them in a third grade class (to represent something)?
The implications of using manipulatives in the classroom are great! We use ten sticks during our place value lessons. I will now try to start my lessons using manipulatives and then move into the abstract. It is easier for my students to see why they are doing something first, then applying it to worksheets. I will also start using different phrasing when talking about subtraction. It isn’t taking away anymore!
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