Why teachers do not use manipulatives with students
Teachers often know the importance of using manipulatives with their students, but they do not use them very frequently for multiple reasons. These reasons include not having access to manipulatives, time constraints in regards to pacing guides set by district curriculum, believing manipulatives only benefit struggling students, the misconception that manipulatives are not part of "real math," and never being taught how to use manipulatives in pre-service education programs (Moyer, 2001).
One of the biggest reasons why teachers do not use manipulatives with their students is the lack of training in their pre-service programs. Several teachers interviewed made similar statements regarding their teacher training programs. As a result of not being shown how to use manipulatives, teachers are unsure of how to use them in their classrooms. Teachers are not aware of the vast variety of manipulatives available, nor do they know where to look for ideas for using manipulatives. (Tooke & Hyatt, 1992).
Many teachers also believe manipulatives should only be used for students who are struggling academically in math or only used with students in primary grades. The reasoning for these ideas stems from the misconception that lower students are the only ones that need physical manipulation of objects, as they have not yet progressed into practicing abstract math skills. "This lack of understanding is evident in their claims that manipulatives are inappropriate for students above the fourth grade, when in fact, many of the manipulatives were designed for students in that age range..." (Tooke & Hyatt, 1992). However, as math concepts become increasingly more abstract as grade levels progress, students need more interaction with manipulatives, not less.
Additionally, some teachers only view manipulatives as toys that can be used as rewards during math class. Research suggests when students view manipulatives as toys, it can be difficult for them to relate the objects to mathematics (McNeil & Jarvin, 2009). If students are only playing with manipulatives and have not been instructed on how to use them as math tools, then they will only see manipulative use as playtime in the classroom.