Mr. Buxton is a perplexed elementary mathematics teacher. He co-teaches a second-grade classroom, with Ms. Snyder. In their classroom they have 25 students; five are identified as academically at risk, and three receive special education services. In the past Mr. Buxton successfully used an instructional approach consisting of (a) modeling, (b)…

Calculus students' difficulties in understanding integration have been extensively studied. Research shows that the difficulty lies with students understanding of the definition of the definite integral as a limit of a Riemann sum and with the idea of accumulation inherent in integration. We have created a set of manipulatives and activities…

Manipulative objects have long been an essential tool in the development of mathematics knowledge and skills. A growing body of evidence suggests using manipulative letters for decoding practice is an also an effective method for teaching reading, particularly in improving the phonological and decoding skills of students at risk for reading…

The intermolecular forces activity presented in this article is designed to foster concept-building through students' use of concrete, manipulative objects, and it was developed to be pedagogically sound. Data analysis via pre- and posttesting and subsequent exam questions indicated that students who had the opportunity to participate in the…

The study was designed to investigate the efficacy of using algebra tile manipulatives in junior high school students' performance. The study sample comprised 56 students from two schools purposely selected from two towns within the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem municipality. The students were made up of two groups; the experimental and the control…

The concept of specificity of enzyme action can potentially be abstract for some students as they fail to appreciate how the three-dimensional configuration of enzymes and the active sites confer perfect fit for specific substrates. In science text books, the specificity of enzyme-substrate binding is typically likened to the action of a lock and…

Using a Mixed Methods approach, this study investigated changes in levels of self-efficacy among elementary preservice teachers following a semester course on teaching elementary students' mathematics. Participants in this study included 347 preservice elementary teachers at a mid-size regional university who had just completed an elementary…

Addition of fractions is an important foundation for students to experience success in mathematics. This mixed-methods study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of robotics as a mathematics manipulative with seventh grade students. Two groups of students were established: control and treatment. The control group received teacher-centered…

This study tested the proposition that the Augmented Reality Sandbox's (ARS) user-interaction from tactile sensory feedback and a realistic 3D perspective improved topographic map comprehension among novice users with reduced cognitive load compared to the same instruction and practice from a 2D topographic map. Undergraduate students were…

By the time students reach the middle years they have experienced many chance activities based on dice. Common among these are rolling one die to explore the relationship of frequency and theoretical probability, and rolling two dice and summing the outcomes to consider their probabilities. Although dice may be considered overused by some, the…

This article presents a lesson in which least common multiples helps students not only develop a perspective on an ancient culture but also draw on the cultural background of classmates. The Maya calendar received a lot of attention in the years leading up to December 21, 2012, because of the mythological end of "creation." Co-author…

Some physiological concepts, such as physiology of filtration and absorption in the different nephron segments, are so detailed that they can be a challenge to be memorized. This article describes an exercise that solidifies learning as students manipulate, using paper models, "transporters" and "electrolytes" in the…

The purpose of this classroom note is to provide an example of how a simple origami box can be used to explore important mathematical concepts in geometry like surface area. This article describes how an origami box can be folded from a rectangular sheet of paper, then it goes on to describe how its surface area can be determined in terms of the…

Data visualization is a core component of every scientific project; however, generation of physical models previously depended on expensive or labor-intensive molding, sculpting, or laser sintering techniques. Physical models have the advantage of providing not only visual but also tactile modes of inspection, thereby allowing easier visual…

Recent literature on learning with instructional manipulatives seems to call for a moderate view on the effects of perceptual and interactive richness of instructional manipulatives on learning. This "moderate view" holds that manipulatives' perceptual and interactive richness may compromise learning in two ways: (1) by imposing a…