Use of manipulatives

Use of manipulatives in maths

At East Wichel, the use of manipulatives plays a key part in daily maths lessons. Across the school, children have access to a wide range of concrete manipulatives to explore through purposeful activity to support their conceptual understanding. The effective use of manipulatives can help students connect ideas and integrate their knowledge so that they gain a deep understanding of mathematical concepts.

It has been found that with long term use of manipulatives in maths, children are more able to verbalise their mathematical thinking, find ways to solve problems, gain a deeper understanding of mathematical ideas and concepts and gain confidence in their abilities to find solutions to mathematical problems.