[Maths-Education] importance of physical materials for mathematics in elementary school

[tr202 at cam.ac.uk]

Dear Kate,

A small supplement to the replies from Keith, Peter and Paul ...

it's worth looking at John Threlfall's nice 1996 paper 'The Role of 
Practical Apparatus in the Teaching and Learning of Arithmetic' in 
Educational Review 48(1).

Abstract: The use of practical apparatus to help children to learn about 
arithmetic has a long history, but many teachers have found that it is not 
as useful as theorists claim and in the current review of practice 
occasioned by the National Curriculum its use is being questioned. This 
article reviews the arguments for the value of practical number apparatus 
and examines the practical activities for which the apparatus is used, to 
try to explain why the theoretical benefits do not seem to be translating 
into practice. A number of possible reasons for the divergence are found, 
most notably the widespread unhelpful use of the apparatus as an aid to 
calculation. A change of emphasis in the use of number apparatus is 
recommended, rather than its rejection.

Robin Foster was also writing about 'apparatus algorithms' around the same 
time, but I  don't have a reference.

Best wishes,
Tim

Dr Tim Rowland
Faculty of Education
University of Cambridge


--On 25 June 2007 03:10 +0000 Katherine Mackrell 
<katemackrell at sympatico.ca> wrote:

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> I have just met a Serbian teacher who informs me that there is pressure to
> remove the use of physical materials in design technology in elementary
> schools and to replace
> these with computer software.
>
> Much as I love 3D computer software, I share his concern with regard to
> students' basic understanding of 3D space and the impact that this change
> might make on students' mathematics.  Could people please send me
> arguments/
> references, etc that would summarise the importance of using physical
> materials for developing mathematical understanding at the elementary
> level?   It's so obviously important to me that I'm not quite sure where
> to start!
>
> Thanks
>
> Kate
>
>
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Dr Tim Rowland
Faculty of Education
University of Cambridge
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email tr202 at cam.ac.uk

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