Algebra Tiles

I usually feel the same way about the manipulates we use in class. I can take them or leave them. As a kid, I didn't learn math using manipulatives, so using them is unnatural and I tend to get frustrated. However, today when we started using the algebra tiles to demonstrate FOIL, I was amazed at how clear the concept was to me. It made perfect sense, and I could see how using the tiles and transitioning from the tiles to the box/grid to FOIL would gives students the concrete understanding instead of just expecting them to accept and memorize FOIL.

One question I had about the tiles, is that I can see how they're used with simple problems, but I'm wondering as a teacher would you use them with more difficult problems? Or would you not have students move on to more difficult problems until they've mastered the concept with the tiles on the easier problems?

While we were using the tiles and other manipulatives today, I was thinking about the ways they could be used in both my kindergarten main placement, as well is in my third grade dyad placement. In kindergarten we have a penny, nickel and dime chart. Students are learning to skip count and understand that 5 pennies equal a nickel. In third grade dyad placement, the students were working on place value, having the kids play a game like the poker chip example would really help some of the kids who need a more of a concrete example.

A quote I left with today was," manipulatives build understanding and make connections".