From: Kimberley (for Teacher2Teacher Service)
Date: Sep 26, 2001 at 20:56:48
Subject: Re: Use of manipulatives

Valerie,
As a secondary teacher, I won't presume to have the best answer to your 
question, but I can share what was suggested to me. I use manipulatives, too, 
and found out that high school seniors also like to engage in "creative 
play".  A colleague said that when a new manipulative is first brought out, 
you need to allow some free exploration which may not be related to what you 
planned to use the "toys" for.  After a reasonable time which only you can 
decide, let the students know that the manipulatives are now to be used for a 
specific purpose.  During recess they can use them otherwise, but for now you 
need them to focus.  Hmm, is "focus" the right word for pre-K?

 -Kimberley, for the T2T service

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