Elementary math questions

Elementary Math Discussion Questions At which age are manipulatives no longer needed in the room? Manipulatives are important in that they aid learners in understanding mathematic concepts better. They are especially important for young learners as they offer visual solutions to mathematical concepts that may not be obvious to a young mind. However, on acquiring mental skills of understanding the concepts, use of manipulatives should be stopped. There is no particular grade to stop using manipulatives. Their use should be as long as this may help the students understand concepts of interest.
2. How might manipulatives be used to enhance a lesson about algebra?
Algebra manipulatives are used in enhancing algebra lessons. They come in different shapes and forms and include algebra tiles, algebra blocks and algebra models. These different forms help support the different factors and variables, therefore, making it easier to understand the concept of algebra by use of visuals. This can be transferred easily to mathematical calculations later.
3. What are some manipulatives you would consider using in the classroom? Give some examples of how you would specifically use manipulatives in the classroom?
There are many manipulatives that can be used in a classroom. However, the choice depends on the individual teacher and the grade level of the young learner. The manipulatives should also be easy and interesting. This is to avoid creating boredom and lack of interest for the learner. Some of the important manipulatives include counting, interlocking and rod, attribute blocks and money manipulatives. For example, I would use counting manipulatives to help learners determine missing numbers. This challenges the user to work it out and helps in quick understanding of the concept.
4. Should students be allowed to use manipulatives on assessments? Why or why not?
Young elementary students should be allowed to use manipulatives both in class and during assessments. This is considering that they are the first means of helping young learners understand basic mathematics. Manipulatives should be allowed on assessments to help in evaluating the young learners ability to grasp the basic concepts. However, once these are found to be satisfactory, the younger learner should be weaned off from using them. This would help in making the learner develop mental abilities for doing calculations without their use.
5. How would you use set theory to deepen the understanding of a particular math concept?
Set theory uses a collection of objects into sets used for objects relevant to mathematics. The theory tends to explain the inter-relationship between the objects. The way these are interchangeably arranged help learners to acquire the concept more easily. Visual presentation is important and it helps deepen the learners’ understanding. This makes it easy to do calculations later after they are no longer in use.
6. Give a specific example of how you might use set theory in the clasroom?
This would be through the use of manipaulatives brought by the students or made in class out of foam sheets. The students would be taught about objects and where they rightly belong. The use of the words ‘ set’ and ‘ belongs to’ should be explained properly and used extensively to help the learners understand. Sets, subsets and intersections of sets can be explained properly through the use of symbols and Venn diagrams. Arranging the objects according to their classes and explaining their point of intersection would help learners grasp the concept better.
References
Azzolino, A. (1994). Exploring functions through the use of manipulatives. Keyport, N. J.:
Mathematical Concepts.