Abstract #2: Young Children's Use of Virtual Manipulatives and Other Forms of Mathematical Representations

This article showed how virtual manipulatives can be used in the classroom and the effect they had on students’ learning. A study was done in a kindergarten classroom where students used virtual manipulatives, wooden blocks, and drawings to show patterns. Children created more patterns when using virtual manipulatives, however all three representations allowed the students to explain their thinking.

A study was also done in a second grade classroom using virtual base-ten blocks and drawings to show regrouping. The virtual base-ten blocks helped students develop meaning for numbers in the ones and tens place (Moyer, Niezgoda, & Stanley, 2005). These students were also able to transfer what they learned to other addition problems.

Using virtual manipulatives seems to be beneficial to students. “We believe that the visual model (the virtual base-ten blocks) helped the children to “see” the regrouping of the numbers during the addition process, which gave this process more meaning for the children” (Moyer, Niezgoda, & Stanley, 2005,p. 31). The children using virtual base-ten blocks learned more about regrouping and also learned more about place value. Even if scores were not improved, the virtual manipulatives allowed the students to experience more examples. This was the case in the kindergarten classroom. All three representations allowed students to express themselves, but the virtual manipulatives let the students work with more examples.

I would like to be able to use virtual manipulatives more often in my classroom. If I had access to a laptop in my classroom, I’m sure I would use them when necessary. When I taught fifth grade, I had a laptop and I could project everything onto the board. If I had known more about the virtual manipulatives, I would have used them in my lessons. Right now I could have students use them in the computer lab and when they are finished with their work early in the classroom.


Moyer, P. S., Niezgoda, D. & Stanley, J. (2005). Young children’s use of virtual manipulatives and other forms of mathematical representations. In W.J. Masalski & P.C. Elliot (Eds.), Technology-Supported Mathematics Learning Environments (Sixty-Seventh Yearbook) (17-34). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.