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Virtual Manipulatives in an Inquiry-Based Curriculum

Final Project

Inquiry Institute 2009 – Bryn Mawr College

Ed Bujak

Screencasts:

#1 - intro (basically this document)  (4:39 minutes) <-- CLICK HERE (rather than read this document)

#2 - demos/models (4:41 minutes)

#3 - demo/model (continued) (4:53 minutes) - let the students loose to play, collect data, resolve conflicts, loop, present, socialize

Resources (just google “virtual manipulatives”):

 
See summary at end.

The Good and the not so good

Manipulatives (all kinds)

            Advantages:

            Address all Visual-Auditory-Kinesthetic-Tactile (VAKT) teaching methods

                        Provides opportunities for optional or differentiated instruction (space)

No real mistakes (conflict, but less frustration)

Safe place to play

Open process à develop strategies, manipulate, observe, collect data, loop

                        Multiple representations (PA Standards: GANV - Graphical, Analytic,

Numeric, Verbal)

                        Modeling

Visualization

Accelerate learning in things that matter high level, abstractions, synthesis, transference)

            Disadvantages:

                        Sometimes expensive

                        Sometimes unsafe

                        Often get lost

Sometimes huge, hard to store, limited shelf life

Virtual manipulatives (subset of above)

            Advantages:

                        Less likely to get lost or broken

                        Free

                        Safe

                        Always available (24/7) – no permissions needed – free exploration!

Visualization and sound capabilities are astounding –allowing for more inquiry, more observations, more loops

Disadvantages:

Usually require some type of run-time player or environment (Java, Flash, some other layer) à needs IT support to install

                        Possibly blocked by severe mechanism in school environments

How manipulative is the manipulative?

            More controls, more variation à more inquiry-based

            Student can create their own à more inquiry-based

            Adaptive technologies

How/Why?

Students must present – sometimes individually and sometimes in a group of 2

Each marking period a team of 2 students must present an original manipulative (cross-curricular activities are strongly encouraged)

Part of students archive portfolio

Digital content creation

Socialization – community of learners (multiple stories)

Emotional support – encourage each other

Meta-cognition – students need to reflect on their work and even have other students new to the topic comment on his/her/their work

VM brief intro in a flash:

National Library of Virtual Manipulatives – NLVM - http://nlvm.usu.edu

Gizmos - http://www.explorelearning.com/

MathForum - http://mathforum.org/

Mathematica – installed software  - http://www.wolfram.com/

Mathematica Demonstrations - http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/

Mathematica Wolfram Alpha - http://www.wolframalpha.com/