POST 4: MANIPULATIVE MATERIALS

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 this game is well explained.