Elizabeth Charity
About Me
Hi everyone! I currently live in New Hampshire and am pursuing a degree in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology from the University at Albany. I earned my undergraduate degree from Elmira College in Elmira, New York. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Childhood Special Education, Childhood Education, and Social Studies. I am hoping to work in a school district this fall in Special Education. In my free time I enjoy taking walks in the woods, going out for ice cream, and hanging out with family and friends.
My Topic and Purpose
The topic of my mini-course is incorporating manipulatives into grade level curriculum to help aid students in understanding the concepts. Manipulatives provide a hands-on approach when making curriculum accessible to all ability levels. By taking this mini-course, teachers will be able to incorporate manipulatives into their daily instruction. Allowing students to have variety when learning new content and reaching multiple learning styles.
Learning Outcomes
The purpose of this mini-course is to give educators the knowledge base to be able to scaffold curriculum to reach all students ability levels. Educators will be able to:
♥ List manipulatives that are appropriate for Math and English
♥ Describe what classifies as a good manipulative
♥ Implement manipulatives into everyday instruction
♥ Differentiate between which manipulatives are needed for the content being taught
♥ Judge whether the lesson would be enhanced with manipulatives
♥ Design instruction with manipulatives to reach all students ability levels
Needs Assessment
Problem
Many classrooms use a traditional form of teaching content where the teacher explains content and the students responsibility is to memorize the information along with having to be able to recite the content back when asked. This approach works for some students but for others this can become frustrating when the information is not within their zone of proximal development. When a student gets frustrated, they are more apt to shut off their learning of new content. When manipulatives are given as a tool for students to use, it can help with bringing content into more students zone of proximal development. Manipulatives help teachers reach more then one learning style. The traditional method of teaching reaches the learning style of the auditory learner, but when manipulatives are added it reaches the additional learning styles of kinesthetic, visual and tactile.
In my experience teaching, teaching with manipulatives has proven very helpful for the students and myself by getting the students to understand the curriculum. Manipulatives can be used in all subject areas. The most prevalent areas that I have found that manipulatives are beneficial in are Math and English. In Math it allows students to have a visual representation of the concrete concepts that they are learning. In English it allows students to see the analytical concepts that they are learning.
What is to be Learned
Learners will become informed about what manipulatives are, what characteristics to consider when choosing manipulatives, how to determine if manipulatives are needed, and designing instruction that includes manipulatives.
The Learners
This course will be used for educators and other professionals in the education field seeking knowledge about how to enhance their instruction to reach all students abilities. The learners will become knowledgeable in the incorporation of manipulatives into curriculum and be able to bring the knowledge to fellow colleagues after completion of the course.
Instructional Context
All instruction will take place online. Learners will need to have consistent internet connection and a computer to complete and be successful when taking the course. The course is self-paced and can be completed as the learner chooses. The course includes readings, videos, and interactive online activities. These allows the content to have variety to reach all learners learning styles.
Exploring the Problem and Solution
Participants will begin their studies by learning about what a manipulative is, what some useful manipulatives for Math and English are, and finally learn how to incorporate them into instruction based on students needs.
The main goal for this mini-course
The main goal of this course is to provide educators with information on manipulatives and give them the tools to incorporate them into their instruction to help meet the needs of all students.
Analysis of the Learner and Context
The target audience for this course is educators looking to broaden their knowledge on scaffolding in their classrooms with the use of manipulatives. Educators can be from anywhere, since this is an online course there is no limitations on where the learner needs to be from. The educators should have a foundational knowledge in lesson planning, wiki sites, education terminology, and educational theory. The learner will need to have the ability to access the internet, along with be able to read pdf. files and view videos.
Performance-Based Objectives
At the conclusion of this course, learners will be able to:
♥ Recall appropriate manipulates for Math and English instruction
♥ State the characteristics of a good manipulative
♥ Execute everyday instruction with seamless integration of manipulatives
♥ Implement content appropriate manipulatives in teaching each subject area
♥ Defend choice of whether or not to use manipulatives in a lesson
♥ Develop instruction with manipulatives to reach all students abilities
Task Analysis
Unit 1:Everything about Manipulatives
The purpose of using manipulatives in classroom instruction
• The learner will be able to describe what classifies as a good manipulative.
• The learner will be able to judge whether the lesson would be enhanced with manipulatives.
• The learner will be able to list manipulatives that are appropriate for Math and English.
Unit 2: Instruction with Manipulatives
How to effectively create instruction with integration of manipulatives
• The learner will be able to differentiate between which manipulatives are needed for the content being taught.
• The learner will be able to implement manipulatives into everyday instruction.
• The learner will be able to design instruction with manipulatives to reach all students ability levels.
Curriculum Map
References and Resources
https://www.classcraft.com/blog/features/learning-styles-vs-multiple-intelligences/
Return to :
ETAP 623 Spring 2020 (Zhang)
Advance to:
Manipulatives to assist in scaffolding curriculum