Christine Valvo

Research Based Lesson Plan

Exploring Fractions using Virtual Manipulatives
Moyer, P. S., Bolyard, J. J., & Spikell, M. A. (2002). What are virtual manipulatives?
Teaching Children Mathematics, 8(6), 372.
Virtual manipulatives can be represented as static or dynamic. Static virtual
representations are essentially pictures (Moyer, Bolyard, & Spikell, 2002, p. 372). Static
manipulatives cannot be used in the same way as physical concrete materials because they
cannot be flipped, translated, or moved. On the other hand, dynamic visual representations can
be referred to as objects. When using virtual dynamic representations, students have the ability
to interact with the virtual three-dimensional objects. It is important to recognize the difference
between any computer generated image and virtual manipulatives. The ability to manipulate
the visual representation... connects the use with the real teaching and learning power of virtual
manipulatives, that is, the opportunity to make meaning and see relationships as a result of ones
own actions (Moyer et. al., 2002, p. 373). Therefore, the term virtual manipulative should be
use in relation to the interactive capability of an activity.
As we have discussed in class, the physical manipulation of representative materials is
essential to understanding conceptual knowledge. Virtual manipulatives do just that. They are
modeled based on commonly used concrete manipulatives such as pattern blocks, tangrams,
fraction bards, geobards, and geometric solids (Moyer et. al., 2002, p. 373). Using these
manipulatives engages the user and allows he/she to control the actions of the presented object.
Additionally, users are also given the opportunity to build and construct mathematical principles
and relationships.

Specifically for my research, the article mentions the following website for preparing
instruction on fractions. Cynthia Laniuss site, No Matter What Shape Your Fractions Are In
(math.rice.edu/~lanius/Patterns/index.html), provides activities for teaching and learning
fractions using virtual pattern blocks (Moyer et. al., 2002, p. 374). Additionally, this article
contains resources and examples of multiple three-dimensional and online virtual experiences. It
is an excellent resource to keep in mind for future instruction.
Virtual manipulatives can be easily integrated into the classroom for use. They are seen
as advantageous because of their accessibility and user friendly design. These virtual
manipulatives are free across the internet and can be accessed by busy teachers, parents, and
most importantly, students. Additionally, there is no clean up and resources are unlimited.
Again, virtual representations give the use the power to create and manipulate mathematical
concepts that lead to a greater conceptual understanding.
Burns, B. A., & Hamm, E. M. (2011). A comparison of concrete and virtual manipulative use in
third- and fourth-grade mathematics. School Science & Mathematics, 111(6), 256-261.
doi:10.1111/j.1949-8594.2011.00086.x
Burns and Hamm discuss a study in which they compare the achievement of students
when using concrete versus virtual manipulatives. This article includes findings regarding a
third and fourth class, however, for my analysis and research I am focusing on the use of virtual
manipulatives in a third grade classroom when reviewing fractions.
As we have thoroughly discussed in class, student experience is a defining factor in what
is learned. By following a progression from physical objects to concept development, students
are given the resources to develop abstract thought. Physical representation can be achieved
virtually or concretely. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics identifies an

important role for computers as tools to assist students not only with the exploration and
discovery of mathematical concepts but also with the transition from concrete experience to
abstract mathematical ideas (Burns & Hamm, 2011, p. 256). This standard paves the way for
using virtual manipulatives within the classroom. Little is known about the benefits of virtual
manipulatives versus concrete manipulatives, however, this experiment was performed to
uncover a deeper understanding of the effectiveness.
This study is relevant to schools today because it (a) increases understanding of the
educational impact of different teaching methods for mathematics, (b) provides educators with
direction for use of manipulatives... and (c) provides a model for studying the effect of
technology on student learning (Burns & Hamm, 2011, p. 256). Additionally, I am interested in
how virtual manipulatives have allowed further discovery and experimentation of mathematical
concepts and relationships through this new form of representation.
The study was conducted using third grade students from a large, suburban, elementary
school in Western New York. Again, the researchers examined the effect of virtual and concrete
manipulatives on the math knowledge of elementary school students (Burns & Hamm, 2011, p.
257). A total of 91 third graders participated, 42 participated using virtual manipulatives while
49 participated using concrete materials. All students were reviewing a fraction unit on
primarily equivalent fractions, ordering fractions, and mixed numbers (Burns & Hamm, 2011,
p. 257). Each student was administered a pretest, treatment, and posttest. It is important to note
that the subjects were divided to ensure equal ability grouping in each condition (Burns &
Hamm, 2011, p. 258). Students of the virtual manipulatives group were directed to use the
following two websites as resources: www.visualfractions.com and nlvm.usu.edu, the NCTM

standards website. Both sites include tutorials, games, and additional math resources. I
personally reviewed the websites and prefer the NCTM resources. In contrast, the concrete
manipulative group used hands-on fraction circles and fraction bars in order to complete the
same activities.
The results showed improvement from pretest to posttest for users of the virtual and
concrete manipulatives, however, the difference was not statistically significant. Actual point
gains for the concrete manipulative group were slightly higher as compared with the virtual
manipulative group (Burns & Hamm, 2011, p. 259). When speaking with the students, all
participants enjoyed practicing math using manipulatives, despite virtual or concrete.
When considering the response and results, it is necessary to conclude that using concrete
and virtual manipulatives in combination within the classroom lead to positive and beneficial
effects on student understanding and interest. It is important to note that although the gains for
third-grade fractions were quite small... due to the ceiling effect on pretest as the students pretest
scores were higher than expected (Burns & Hamm, 2011, p. 259). Additionally, take into
consideration that this was a review unit for the students. Had this have been an introductory
lesson, gains may have been more significant.
Virtual manipulatives however can be an excellent addition to a classroom because of
their accessibility, they are easy to manage, provide immediate feedback to students, and are
readily available. Most importantly, the feedback can potentially allow the student to selfcorrect in a nonthreatening environment (Burns & Hamm, 2011, p. 260). Additional practice
and guidance from virtual manipulatives allow students to practice at home. Students must be
given the opportunity to continue to use this available and valuable resources.

Reimer, K., & Moyer, P. S. (2005). Third-graders learn about fractions using virtual
manipulatives: A classroom study. Journal Of Computers In Mathematics & Science
Teaching, 24(1), 5-25.
A two-week study using virtual manipulatives in a third-grade classroom to teach
fractions yielded excellent results in favor of this new teaching technique. The applets used
provided great instructional advantages because of their capability to connect dynamic visual
images with abstract symbols-- one limitation of physical manipulatives (Reimer & Moyer,
2005, p. 7). Additionally, electronic tools use graphics, numbers, and words on the computer
screen to connect the iconic with the symbolic mode (Reimer & Moyer, 2005, p. 7). This article
referred the reader to the following hyperlinks: http://matti.usu.edu/nlvm and http://nctm.org,
both of which I have visited and explored.
The research focused on the following questions: (1) What impact do virtual fraction
manipulatives have on students conceptual and procedural understanding of fractions? and (2)
What are students attitudes about using virtual fraction manipulatives during the learning of
fractions? (Reimer & Moyer, 2005, p. 9).
The population that was tested includes 19 third-grade students located approximately 30
minutes from the Washington DC Matro area. The student population is diverse ranging from
different ethnicities to several special needs students. Of these students four had autism, three
were ESOL students, three children have a variety of learning disabilities, and four students
received gifted services.
The study was conducted in the classroom and computer lab. The classroom was set up
as a cooperative learning environment which is essential to student collaboration and learning.
For four consecutive days, the students interacted with the virtual manipulatives for an hour in

the computer lab. During this time they completed teacher-made assignments, including pre and
post tests. Before having the students complete the assignments, the teacher explained and
modeled how to use the virtual manipulatives. The first week the students were introduced to
using virtual manipulatives with base-10 blocks. During the second week, the students worked
on their fractions unit, again, using the virtual manipulatives as a learning tool.
The fraction concepts in which the students explored include: parts of a whole, parts of a
group, equivalent fractions, and comparing fractions (Reimer & Moyer, 2005, p. 11). Before
each assignment, the instructor gave an introduction to the specific applet the students would be
using that day. Again, the students given teacher-made worksheets in conjunction with working
with the virtual manipulatives. This is an excellent way for the observers to keep the diverse
students on task. Students were given the opportunity to work at their own pace.
When collecting data, the teacher administered four tests. Those include a pretest and
posttest testing the students conceptual knowledge of fractions, and a pretest and posttest testing
the students procedural knowledge regarding fractions. It is important to note that
manipulatives were not available for use during the conceptual knowledge tests. However,
during the pretest based on procedural knowledge, the students were given physical
manipulatives as opposed to the posttest where they were instructed to use the virtual
manipulatives as an aid to answer questions if needed. In addition to the data collected based on
the tests, the participants were interviewed and asked to take an attitude survey.
Upon analysis, the results indicated that the students scored significantly higher on the
posttest assessment of conceptual knowledge than they scored on the pretest (Reimer & Moyer,
2005, p. 14). The average conceptual knowledge score increased from 60% to 69%. According

to the data, the majority of students improved their scores on the posttest after learning the
conceptual knowledge with the addition of virtual manipulatives. 53% of the students improved
their understandings, 21% saw no change, and 26% (five students) of the students scores
decreased.
The scores on the procedural knowledge assessment indicated no significant differences,
similar to the previous article, because the students scores were already very high. The class
average improved from a 90% to a 96% on procedural knowledge based posttest.
According to the student questionnaire and interviews, the majority of students had a
positive response to using virtual manipulatives (Reimer & Moyer, 2005, p. 17). Additionally,
students felt as though the virtual manipulatives helped them learn about fractions, they liked and
preferred the immediate feedback, and found it to be easier and faster to use as opposed to paperand-pencil. Overall, the students indicated positive feedback in regards to their mathematic
experience.
In conclusion, using virtual manipulatives allowed students to visualize the fraction
concepts and enhanced their ability to explain and represent abstract thoughts using pictorial
models (Reimer & Moyer, 2005, p.20). The specific and immediate feedback was found to be
useful to making instant corrections to student work. Lastly, the virtual manipulatives allowed
students to work at their own pace and provides accommodations and differentiation for all
levels of learners in the tested population. Therefore, students felt more competent, comfortable,
and confident in their mathematical knowledge and classroom environment.

Research Lesson Plan Discussion

Prior to my research on using virtual manipulatives to teach fractions, I had no
knowledge of understanding on what virtual manipulative are, where to find them, or how to use
them. The articles posed data supporting use of all manipulative in the classroom in addition to
using virtual representations. I found the articles to be extremely helpful in providing explicit
examples, resources, and website information that I was able to directly apply to my lesson plan.
When writing this lesson plan, I felt confident in using these online manipulatives and
understand the ways in which they can be applied. The article by Suh and Heo specifically, gave
a tutorial on how a teacher used these specific applets in her classroom. Again, I found this
information easy to apply and extremely useful in relation to my personal objective. I feel as
though I was able to successfully reach my personal goal of creating an advanced lesson plan to
teach students adding fractions using virtual manipulatives.
I found reading these studies to be an enjoyable and interesting experience. I was able to
pull extensive amounts of information from the text in order to grasp the true value of using
virtual manipulatives.
I am confident in my ability to conceptually explain fractions using manipulatives after
this research. I am interested in further exploration of virtual manipulatives and how they can be
integrated into classrooms today. The greatest advantage I saw throughout this research was the
accessibility of resources. Students have the ability to use these valuable resources at home
when they may not have family support. In no way do I believe virtual manipulatives should be
the sole representation within the classroom. For student success, it is necessary to use virtual
representations in conjunction with concrete manipulatives.