Manipulative Materials in Teaching Mathematics among Junior High School Teachers: A Literature Review

Source abstract

This review article visualizes the use of manipulative materials in teaching mathematics among junior high school teachers. The review correlated to the study in the following areas: The concept of manipulative materials, types of manipulative materials teachers use in teaching mathematics, How teachers obtain manipulative materials for teaching mathematics, teaching methods teachers use for teaching mathematics with the use of manipulative materials, teachers’ perceived benefits of using manipulative materials in teaching mathematics, and challenges of using manipulative materials in teaching mathematics among teachers. In order to develop every student’s mathematical proficiency, leaders and teachers must systematically integrate the use of concrete and virtual manipulative materials into classroom instruction at all grades. Manipulative materials not only allow students to construct their own cognitive models for abstract mathematical ideas and processes, but they also provide a common language with which to communicate these models to the teacher and other students.