Teaching mathematics using manipulatives: Methodological innovation for primary school classrooms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55560/arete.2026.24.12.1Keywords:
Teaching of mathematics, manipulative mathematics, manipulatives, sustainability, primary educationAbstract
The aim of this article is to explore manipulative mathematics as a methodological innovation in primary education. To this end, using document analysis, the study examines their presence in the main knowledge models for teaching mathematics and in the Spanish primary school mathematics curriculum; furthermore, through a case study, it illustrates the design and implementation of the activity ‘Building plans for sustainable houses using number strips’. The data show, on the one hand, that all knowledge models for teaching mathematics take manipulation into account and that this strategy is consistently mentioned in the curriculum within the numerical domain, whilst it is absent from the algebraic and stochastic domains; and, on the other hand, the implementation data show that the activity has enabled the development of various mathematical concepts in connection with sustainability. It is concluded that manipulative mathematics provides a concrete and tangible basis that facilitates the transition to abstract thinking.
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