Exploration of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Manipulatives in Mathematics
For a long time, educators have understood the value of using tangible objects in the
classroom as learning tool when teaching mathematics. These tangible objects are known as
manipulatives and are used by many teachers all over the world use manipulatives to change the
student’s view of a particular mathematical concept. For example, in teaching geometry, the
teacher may use 3-D shapes when teach what surface area or volume is. This allows the student
to connect what they learned to reality versus solely learning from a sheet of paper or drawing on
the board. Using manipulatives can be a huge advantage for some students but could become
frustrating or not as helpful for other students. In this paper, we will explore many advantages
along with some challenges that come along with using manipulatives in the classroom.
A German educator by the name of Friedrich Froebel started the first kindergarten in the
world. Along with this, he developed a variety of objects to help students through toys and
songs. Another person who revolutionized manipulatives was Maria Montessori. She based her
manipulatives on children’s preferences, making a point that children should gain independence
in doing for themselves. Out of this necessity, she created manipulative materials that allowed
for exploration and experimentation. She used objects such as sticks to teach numbers or blocks
to teach place value, which are still used a great deal today (Hoffman, Glannon, 1993).
Today, manipulatives are used for a huge number of mathematical concepts including
sorting, determining patterns, measurement, the base-ten numbering system, problem-solving,
spatial relationships, and calculating addition, subtraction, multiplication and division problems,
just to name a few. Different states across the nation have also mandated the use of
manipulatives for teaching math. These have included California, North Carolina, Texas,
Tennessee, among others (“Research on the Benefits of Manipulatives,” n.d.). Clearly,
manipulatives are important and have proven to have huge benefits if states all over the nation
are starting to require the use of manipulatives.
Froebel and Montessori had a huge impact on the manipulatives that are used today.
Many of the positive attributes stem from their doings, including helping the students see real life
applications of the material being taught. I remember going through school wondering, how
does this apply to my life? From experience, many students have this question. Using
manipulatives allows the students to really grasp and bring relevance to every situation. A great
example of this would be calculating the area of a building. Students can use manipulatives,
such as number blocks, to construct a building. Then once they can see that it looks similar to a
real building’s structure, they can count the number of blocks within the building to determine
the area.
