"Preserving Pelicans with Models That Make Sense" & "Count On It: Congruent Manipulative Displays"

"Preserving Pelicans with Models That Make Sense"
     This article talks about model-eliciting activities, specifically an activity relating to pelicans and the concentration of their colonies. An MEA is an activity that allows students to work with models in order to help form their understanding of concepts. In the articles example students were trying to come up with the best way to estimate the number of pelican colonies in an area. Students worked in small groups to come up with the best way to estimate this number.
     I think that this kind of activity is very beneficial to student learning if implemented properly. It allows students to share, discuss, and revise their ideas and to really think through a problem situation. I would use this type of activity in many different situations in my own classroom. I personally think that the MEA is best suited to topics that students can relate to the most because it can be very time consuming and involves a lot of thought to carry out.

Moore, T.J., Doerr, H.M., Glancy, A.W., & Ntow, F.D. (2015). Preserving pelicans with models that make sense. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 20(6), 358-364.


 "Count On It: Congruent Manipulative Displays"
     This article talks about the use of manipulatives. As students we have had plenty of experience working with them to assist in our own learning, but thinking about how to effectively use a manipulative to teach your future students seems less simple. You must make sure that you are properly connecting the concept being taught with the manipulative being used. It is also important to understand that when you start using manipulatives with your students you begin with very concrete examples. The more the students learn the more abstract the manipulatives can be. this article also talks about the importance of guiding students to use manipulatives in their own independent study.
    Throughout my personal experience using manipulatives I am able to understand the positives that they can have when working with them. I had never really thought about how difficult it is to incorporate them into a lesson before though. Obviously they help some people but how do you introduce them effectively. I can see my students using all kinds of manipulatives in my classroom, whether it be during a lesson or while working on their homework, as long as the manipulative fits the task at hand. I am a very hands on person and when you have to work through a difficult problem they can be very helpful.

Morin, J., & Samelson, V.M. (2015). Count on it: Congruent manipulative displays. Teaching Children Mathematics, 21(6), 362-370.