Although this is a video regarding mathematics, I feel that it is important for other subject types as well. In many cases, students have a hard time grasping concepts they read in a textbook because they are visual learners. I have found over the years that a student may have a deeper understanding for a topic if they are able to see what they are discussing being done or to physically hold the object. Although manipulatives are more commonly used in mathematics, subjects such as social studies can include hands on activities every day. For example, asking students to create a project to go along with the topic such as timeline is useful because the student can visually see the dates and events.
Dan Meyer also discusses how many items in textbooks are not exactly important. It is a valuable for students to understand what is important to remember and what is less important to remember for the future. Being able to teach and model for students how to properly obtain information from a textbook and how to figure out what is important and what could possibly be less important.
In my future classroom, I plan to use manipulatives for as many subject areas as possible. As a visual learner, I find it important to be able to see what is being discussed rather than just read about it. It is important for me to access as many different senses as possible while teaching because not every student is the same.
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