GEOMETRY IN PRIMARY EDUCATION

Why is important to teach geometry in a manipulative way? According to Dale’s Cone of Experience, the best way for the students to learn is being active in their own learning.  What does it mean? It means that learning through active techniques has the result of 90% retention. It proves that people learn best when they use their senses. The more sensory channels interacting with a resource, the better chance that many students can learn from it.  According to Dale, teachers should design the kind of activities based real-life experiences.  In order to applicate this principle to Maths, we have to propose to the students the maximum number of manipulative exercises. There are some options to work Geometry in a manipulative way. The most famous resource is the TANGRAM. It's a game which consists of 7 wooden pieces with a geometric shape. The objective of this game is to create different figures, using all the pieces of the game. Here is a video where t...

Geometry is everywhere in nature. No matter which place we look, we can find lines, angles, shapes, curves and a lot of other aspects related to geometry. When we know what to look for, it becomes obvious. In the natural world around us, patterns are everywhere: in the way plants branch out in their growing process, in the forms of the clouds, in the animals, in the snow and even in the universe. Similar patterns are always repeating themselves, over and over again. As showed in this video, we can find geometry everywhere if we pay attention. Geometry is something very present in our lives, even if the most part of the time we are not aware of it.

Since we are babies, we are attracted to patterns, designs and shapes.  Our parents usually reinforce this interest by buying toys or mobiles with brightly colored shapes, pictures or designs.    We are attracted to these items before we are even able to reach, grasp or manipulate them. Later, when we are a little older, we use manipulative toys in order to develop these types of skills. These shapes and designs are based on the mathematical field of geometry.  It's very important to promote children's interest in this kind of games, since they have a lot of benefits in the development of their intelligence and skills.

Hello everyone! I'm Marina Fernández Muñoz and I start this blog for the subject "Didactics of Geometry", which belongs to the Degree in Primary Education. In this blog, I'll add information I consider interesting about the Didactics of Geometry in Primary Education. This information can be useful in the future as teachers. I'll look for original activities, resources and apps which can be used in Primary School to increase the students' interest about maths. Welcome to my little space. Marina.