Remember ten years ago when few people had cell phones, computers were luxury items, and the World Wide Web was a myth? Just as fast as our world has changed in ten years, so has our children’s world of education. Unfortunately for most students today, this change has been a hard adjustment. Odyssey Academy is helping their students adjust by creating an environment of active, hands-on learning. Pre-Kindergarten classes use counting bears to create patterns and groups. Early elementary students are using base ten blocks to learn a variety of concepts including place value, addition and subtraction. Middle school students are using graphing calculators and algebra tiles to solve equations rather than using the same old pencil and paper method.
Twenty-first century students are being educated in a fast-paced, high-demand atmosphere. Every year they are in school, they are faced with new standards and higher expectations. It is our job to prepare them for these demands, as well as, equip them for a successful future in education. This requires a change in the math concepts we teach as well as how we teach those concepts.
Students who are actively involved in learning will retain, recall, and make connections to the material learned. Odyssey Academy has invested tens of thousands of dollars in math manipulatives and trainings for teachers to use these manipulatives in conjunction with their curriculum to ensure that all learning styles, (visual, auditory, and tactile) have the same opportunity to achieve.
Although many students are visual and auditory learners, studies show that most children in this generation learn by doing (tactile). Odyssey Academy’s principal, Jennifer Goodman, believes that giving each student these tactile experiences gives them extra opportunities to explore, develop, and test mathematical ideas. Extensive use of physical materials, particularly in the foundations of learning, builds a concrete foundation for the development of mathematical understanding.
Students of today are not only required to know the basics of math, but the principles and applications of many abstract concepts, which are difficult for many students to comprehend. The use of these hands-on materials enables the students to create a visual representation that they can apply to these abstract ideas. “It’s important that we use a hands-on approach in introducing new concepts because it helps the student move the idea from the abstract to the concrete. Now we can transition our students from their concrete understanding to pencil and paper” says Goodman.
Research also shows that manipulatives provide enjoyment in learning mathematics. More senses are brought to life during these learning experiences. Students have the ability to touch and move objects and make visual representations while listening to the teacher and their peers. Their use allows all students within the learning spectrum to remain engaged and to feel successful. This differentiation of instruction allows teachers to reach the students who struggle while providing a challenging lesson for high achievers.
Manipulatives are transforming classrooms at Odyssey. Teachers are able to teach lectures that are interesting and fun which helps reduce tardiness and absenteeism as well as assisting students and parents at home. There are multiple websites that use a “virtual manipulative”. Teachers can give out the website related to the objectives and manipulatives used in class so parents and students can continue the lesson at home.
Odyssey Academy had a huge helping hand through Rice University’s School of Science and Technology Program. Under Dr. Wallace Dominey’s leadership they provided more than thirty thousand dollars in mathematics, science, and technology manipulatives, materials, and equipment to Odyssey Academy. Dr. Dominey also provided extensive professional development to Odyssey teachers and made possible the attendance of several Odyssey teachers in summer mathematics and science training institutes offered by his program and by the Rice School Mathematics Project.
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