Definition
Mathematical manipulatives are artifacts used in mathematics education: they are handled by students in order to explore, acquire, or investigate mathematical concepts or processes and to perform problem-solving activities drawing on perceptual (visual, tactile, or, more generally, sensory) evidence.
Characteristics
Manipulatives and Mathematics Education
One can distinguish several kinds of manipulatives used in schools and education. Two classifications that emerge from the literature may be suggested, referring to either the quality of interaction user-manipulative or the origin of the manipulative: concrete versus virtual manipulatives and historic-cultural versus “artificial” manipulatives.
Concrete manipulatives are physical artifacts that can be concretely handled by students and offer a large and deep set of sensory experience.
Virtual manipulativesare digital artifacts that resemble physical objects and can be manipulated, usually with a mouse, in a similar way as...
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Bartolini, M.G., Martignone, F. (2014). Manipulatives in Mathematics Education. In: Lerman, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Mathematics Education. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4978-8_93
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