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Developing Students' Representational Fluency Using Virtual And Physical Algebra Balances, Jennifer Suth, Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

Both virtual and physical manipulatives are reported as effective learning tools when used with different groups of students in a variety of contexts to learn mathematical content. The use of multiple representations and the flexibility to translate among those representational forms facilitates students' learning and has the potential to deepen their understanding. This classroom project involved two groups of third-grade students in a week-long unit focusing on algebraic relationships. The purpose of the unit was to engage students with different algebraic models and encourage students to use informal strategies to represent their relational thinking. The paper highlights examples of these …