Interview results
Dr. Brown
Dr. Brown is currently a 5th grade teacher with fifteen years of classroom experience in second grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade. Dr. Brown attended William Jewell College for her undergraduate degree and Baker University for her doctorate.
When asked about her undergraduate preparation regarding the use of manipulatives in math instruction, Dr. Brown said, "My school was really small. There were only, like, 15 people in my graduating class. My math professor really believed in using manipulatives, and we used them in class a lot, so I use them a lot now." Dr. Brown reported using Base 10 blocks and fraction tiles most often in her classroom. She has shelves in her classroom with manipulatives available for students to use when they need them.
When asked about the frequency of manipulative use, Dr. Brown said that she uses them in whole group at least once a week and with small groups almost daily. "I'd rather have my students know a lot about how to use the manipulatives and how to do the math with them. Some students can get it in a few times, but some need to use them almost every day until they get it," said Dr. Brown regarding how often students use manipulatives in her classroom.
Dr. Brown reported that her school district's strict pacing guide for math instruction keeps her from using manipulatives more often. She said the district has cut some lessons from each math module in the curriculum and added some "flex days," but that's not enough time to incorporate manipulatives and build a foundation of understanding.
Ms. Martin
Ms. Martin is a third year teacher with experience teaching sixth grade math and inquiry. This is her first year teaching fifth grade. Ms. Martin received her undergraduate degree in elementary education from Missouri State University and her Master's in curriculum design from Northwest Missouri State University.
While talking with Ms. Martin, she revealed, "My college math classes were really just about learning how to do elementary math, not how to teach elementary math. I don't even know where to get ideas to use manipulatives." Ms. Martin discussed her lack of knowledge about various manipulatives, and said she had never even heard of several of the manipulatives listed on the survey. She referred to her college classes and their lack of preparation regarding manipulative use in the classroom. "I had no idea manipulatives were so important in math until teaching 5th grade this year. I feel bad for never using them with my 6th graders!"
When discussing the frequency of manipulative use and reasons for this amount of use, Ms. Martin said she chose the answer, "Once or twice a month," on the survey, but she really only uses them once or twice for each module, usually just at the beginning of the module. Some of the modules she teaches are 25-30 lessons long, which means they take five to six weeks, or more with days off from school, to complete. This means Ms. Martin is using manipulatives less than once per month.
I asked Ms. Martin to tell why she isn't using manipulatives more often. She replied that she uses them when they're included in the math lesson in the curriculum, but if they're not included, she doesn't know which ones to use. She referred back to her lack of instruction on manipulatives and how to use them in her teacher preparation courses. Additionally, Ms. Martin also discussed the amount of time it takes to get manipulatives out, used, and put away. "We would never finish on time for the test. My kids would spend all their time playing with manipulatives," she said. This statement also alludes to her opinion of equating manipulatives with toys. She said students would spend too much time playing with manipulatives, which reveals that she considers them to be toys rather than tools for understanding abstract mathematical concepts.
Mrs. Moore
Mrs. Moore is a 4th grade teacher with six years of teaching experience. She received her teaching degree from Missouri State University, then taught for two years in Atlanta, Georgia before moving to the Kansas City, Missouri area where she currently teaches.
Mrs. Moore discussed her lack of manipulative training in her undergraduate program at Missouri State University by stating, "I don't remember using them in college at all." She stated that her college classes were not focused on using manipulatives as an educational tool, and that her elementary math classes were geared towards covering the topics that are taught in elementary school. She also said she learned some different strategies, such as multiplying with an area model and using number lines to add and subtract, but there were no classes that showed how to use hands-on manipulatives.
In Mrs. Moore's current fourth grade class, manipulatives are used once or twice a month, typically at the beginning of a new math module. Mrs. Moore did mention using Unifix cubes and fraction tiles with a math intervention group. She said she uses these manipulatives more frequently with her intervention group, because that group is working on missing skills, not what's currently being taught during math class. She said it is easier to use the manipulatives with a small group because, "...they're sitting right there at my table, and I can help them easily when they get confused or stuck." She did reiterate that she doesn't always use manipulatives with her small group, but they are used more frequently than with her whole class.
When asked to explain why she uses manipulatives only once or twice a month, she repeated the common theme of lack of time due to the strict pacing guide set by the school district. She also discussed the management issue and stated that it takes a large chunk of time to get the manipulatives passed out and then picked up. Mrs. Moore also discussed fourth grade's schedule being difficult to fit a whole math lesson in, which meant it was even more difficult to use manipulatives. She also mentioned that her class is easily distracted by the manipulatives and tend to build or create with them instead of doing the math-related task. Additionally, Mrs. Moore said, "I know I should use them more. My high kids get it and can draw it, so we just move on and don't always go back to them." This indicates that she's teaching to the high achieving students and moving on to the next lesson, whether students understand or not.
Mr. Peters
Mr. Peters is a first year teacher who is currently teaching fourth grade. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Central Missouri. Mr. Peters has had a challenging first year in the classroom and has decided to not return to teaching next year.
Mr. Peters said he was not prepared to use manipulatives in his college classes. "We were given a list of manipulatives you should have in your classroom, but not how to use all of them. I've never known what to do with some things," said Mr. Peters during his interview. He did say that the teacher he worked with during his student-teaching experienced frequently used manipulatives during math instruction, with the most common being base ten blocks and fraction strips or tiles. He mentioned that he has a class set of Cuisenaire Rods in his classroom, but he had never seen them before working at this school and was tempted to throw them away at the beginning of the year due to his lack of knowledge about them.
During his interview, Mr. Peters was asked to describe how often he uses manipulatives in his classroom. "I mostly use them with kids in the first few lessons because they're used in the lessons in the book. I don't use them for other lessons," said Mr. Peters. He said he has been very overwhelmed with managing behaviors in his class this year, and has not strayed from the lessons in the manual. He also said that when he did get things like pattern blocks out, his students would ignore his directions and play with the blocks. He said it led to frustration and chaos.
When asked to share some more reasons why manipulatives were used infrequently in his classroom, Mr. Peters mentioned the timing of math during the school day. For a large portion of the school year, fourth grade math was at the very end of the day, right after recess, from 3:00-3:50. He said this was a terrible time for math, as a lot of that time was spent getting students settled from recess, managing issues that happened at recess, and then stopping in time to pack up for dismissal. After winter break, math was switched with writing and done in the morning. This has helped with the structure of math class, but he said he still didn't feel comfortable using manipulatives very often with his students.