Virtual Manipulatives: A Tool to Support Access and Achievement With Middle School Students With Disabilities

Abstract

Manipulatives offer students with disabilities access and support in classrooms. However, it is important for educators to be aware that concrete manipulatives are not the only option. Teachers serving students identified with a disability in the middle grades may consider selecting virtual manipulatives as supplement, complement, or in lieu of concrete manipulatives. In this technology in action, the authors provide information for educators about using virtual manipulatives and how they can be used across different settings, instructional needs, and mathematical content areas for middle school students with disabilities.

Manipulating Algebra: Comparing Concrete and Virtual Algebra Tiles for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

“…In doing this, researchers attempted to reduce the difference in level of inherent supports between the manipulatives. Previous researchers suggested the inherent supports within virtual manipulatives contributed to higher independence and a reduced cognitive load for students with disabilities (Bouck, Mathews, et al, 2019;Satsangi & Miller, 2017). The results suggest virtual manipulatives can be just as beneficial to students with disabilities as concrete manipulatives.…”

Using the VA Framework to Teach Algebra to Middle School Students With High-Incidence Disabilities

“…At the secondary level, virtual manipulatives could be used for whole group instruction, during station teaching, or even in small groups (e.g., intervention groups), especially as more students gain access to one-to-one technology (e.g., Chromebooks, iPads; Satsangi et al, 2018). Teachers using the VA framework during instruction in a large class could use a smartboard to display their work during the explicit instruction, and then students could work from their devices as the teacher walked around and provided feedback, before students completed the mathematics independently (Bouck, Mathews, & Peltier, 2019). However, it is important to remember that part of the effectiveness of the VA intervention relies on the student’s ability to move at his or her own pace with some students needing additional sessions (Bouck & Sprick, 2018), and thus whole class implementation may become more challenging.…”

Use of the Concrete–Representational–Abstract Instructional Sequence to Improve Mathematical Outcomes for Elementary Students With EBD

“…The ease of transition between stages is the rationale for integrating them (Morano et al). The CRA and CRA-I sequences have been shown effective using virtual manipulatives (Bouck et al, 2020).…”