Hands-On
Benefits of Using Manipulatives
The primary benefit of Moving with Math® is that students gain a solid understanding of underlying math concepts through hands-on learning activities. These activities provide a firm, memorable foundation for more abstract, symbolic operations. Moving with Math® uses manipulatives to introduce every objective.
The Three Stages of Learning
Concrete–Representational–Abstract (CRA)
As students move through the three stages of learning, hands-on activities address the needs of auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners.
- The Concrete (Manipulative) stage consists of actual contact with objects. Students look at, touch, and move objects to understand mathematical concepts.
- In the Representational (Pictorial) stage, students bridge the gap between the concrete and the abstract with strategies such as drawing pictures and talking about math.
- In the Abstract (Numbers/Signs) stage, real objects and pictures are connected to the abstract numerals and signs of arithmetic and algebra. Students gain understanding of abstract concepts from experiences in the concrete and representational stages.