Teachers often use manipulatives—boxes, shapes, figures and games—which students can handle during in-class activities to explain math and science concepts. A colleague of mine forwarded me a link to a site that offers teachers interactive math and science resources and Web-based “virtual manipulatives,” which seeks to help educators build student understanding.
In addition to housing interactive tests and features that allow students to manipulate shapes, the site offers general suggestions on teaching for math and science educators. The entries include tips on how teachers can use popular games to explain math (“The Math in Video Games”) and the possible uses of technology (“Using Google Earth in Science and Math”).
For the math and science teachers out there: How useful do you find Web-based resources in your classes? How often do you get new ideas from these sorts of sites? Do you have the time—not to mention the computer resources—to have your students make use of Web resources like this one?