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Current Practices: Spatial Addition

Hannah Magarian
EDC 456
Research Paper

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Target Skill
Early addition and subtraction is taught starting in kindergarten, and it is a skill needed
throughout the rest of a students math career. However, even though addition is started in
kindergarten it is elaborated on in the first grade before the student can learn new elements of
mathematics; this is one of the building blocks. The concept that I have researched is spatial
structuring for first grade addition, in terms of five and ten-frames. Current research is saying
that by teaching addition in terms of spaces and frames, the students are able to further gasp and
understand what it means to add numbers together. This technique is also helping students to
improve their working memory, take their time and check their work, and also help with testing
in terms of tangible evidence to see how a child is progressing.
Research on Best Practices
Current research is showing that by giving students spatial manipulatives while learning
numbers and addition, it provides them with not only understanding of the numbers, but also a
clearer way to understand the relationship between the formal number and the amount it
represents. This idea comes from researchers Zhou & Peverly, 2005, of Columbia University.
The idea is to take a word problem (or any problem) and change it from being abstract thinking
that the student would conduct in their head, to concrete and tangible thoughts through the given
materials, by using spatial frames. In this way students have a better chance of understanding the
concept as well as the way to visualize how to work with the numbers in their head, once they
grow past the level of using the frames. The idea behind the practice is to start by using fiveframes and to move to the ten-frames once the student has demonstrated full understanding. The
switch between the concrete problems with the manipulatives and the abstract problems
internalized, allows for multiple levels of understanding. The students brain will be able to

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conceptualize between how to see and solve the problem in their head, while alternately being
able to demonstrate full understanding or provide themselves with further assistance by putting
their visualization in the ten-frame. Several examples of this practice are given on the site
Teachers Pay Teachers, where Masters, 2014, a teacher from Illinois, with her ten-frame activity
states, Ten frames are visual tools for helping students "see" numbers, understand place value,
and learn important strategies for mental addition and subtraction. Overall, when used
effectively, ten frames can help students build a strong sense of numbers. This also supports
Gardners Multiple Intelligence Theory (Lane, 2016) in the sense that not every student is going
to grasp math in the same ways as others, some can internalize and some need help visualizing to
further understand the task at hand (Zhou & Peverly, 2005). For the students that need the
visualization, the frames will show where they are in their thought process as well as where they
need to go, and for the students further advanced in math the frames will show them how to
explain their thought process not only with others, but to check their own work.
Research is also saying that by using the ten-frame structure, students will not only better
understand the concrete numbers, they will also be able to understand the problems out of order
rather than memorizing facts according to researchers, Salmah, Putri, and Somakim, 2013 from
Sriwijaya University, Indonesia. In a study done by (Sulmah, et al., 2013), they found that after
giving students three different math problems, the students could internalize the problems and
move the numbers and objects in their head after practicing with the manipulatives. In addition,
students learned more than just math with the ten-frame study, they learned finger motions and
how to count in the right direction, which could further be applied to reading skills. The
researchers also found that the students in the study were more apt to share out their answers
with the researchers and the other students, due to the fact that they had tangible evidence to

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show off rather than just an equation in which they either knew the right answer, or they didnt
(Sulmah, et al., 2013). Thus also supports research done by Education Week authors Draeger and
Wilson 2016, that by giving students options to exercise control and have choices with their
learning methods, they are more apt to want to learn. Problem based learning with incorporating
shared ideas and methods, promotes a great classroom environment (Draeger, & Wilson, 2016).
Another crucial piece of using ten-frames comes with assessment according to
researchers Van De Walle, Karp, and Bay Williams, 2016. Since the ten-frame is tangible
evidence for a teacher or observer to make notes on, it can provide insight that a student counting
in their head would not provide. For example, an educator can see if the student is subitizing or
counting with their fingers, and from here the teacher will now how to proceed based on how the
student is using the ten-frame. A great checkpoint according to Van De Walle et al., 2016, is that
ten frames can be started in lower levels with a five frame, this is a great way to see which
numbers are giving the child a hard time or if the child is fully grasping the concepts (Van De
Walle et al., 2016).
Current Debate
A piece of the current debate going on according to Zhou & Peverly, 2005 is that in the early
elementary grades, the children are too young to be able to take ideas from manipulatives and be
able to distinguish between the problem and the manipulatives. In other words, the student might
not understand that the ten-frame is mirroring the problem they are working on. I disagree with
this due to the fact that current research shows, if you start a student with a five-frame they will
understand this concept far earlier on than this argument is showing (Van De Walle et al., 2016).
This argument is also centered on the idea that if students use only semi-concrete representation
of a number, they can move on to others concepts without needing this for each of them.

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However, research is showing that by using tangible manipulatives the students are not
memorizing he problems, they are practicing and experiencing different number relationships
(Van De Walle et al, 2016).
Another argument used against this currently, brought to surface by Van De Walle et al,
2016 is that ten-frames are a lot for a childs working memory to comprehend. The source then
retaliates by explaining that if used the right way, this challenge will improve the students
working memory and there are several tools provided to show how to do this. One example is to
use virtual activities, this way the student can see the way that the ten frame shift based on the
problem and they can further understand how to use the ten-frame to show different numbers
(Van De Walle et al, 2016).
Reflection on My Practice
Spatial counting by means of ten-frames is an abstract way of thinking that not only
supports students working memory, ability to subitize, and caters to the Multiple Intelligence
Theory, its also a fantastic observation and testing technique for educators. I will use this in my
practice for the future by starting with the five-frame to be of certainty that my students
understand the concept, and I will move them to the ten-frame once I have observed that they
have full understanding. This way the students that need a visual will have one, and all students
will have a clear concept of what it means to check their work. This is also crucial for the
students who are advanced with math and often move too quickly, the ten-frame will enhance
their skills to check their work and to be neat about their thinking process, this helps for the
student to be able to go back and review their thinking which is very important. The students in
my first grade practicum placement have spent a great deal of time this year working with tenframes and I have seen their math improve significantly because of it. We started with addition

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with them in the fall and now working with larger numbers and subtraction this spring, the
majority of the students are drawing ten-frames in the margins of their paper to help them solve
their word problems. This is also crucial in getting students to be interactive with math, by not
having the students strictly do computations in their head, a lesson can quickly become
interactive. In addition, for most of the students this organized visual makes all of the difference
in keeping the numbers organized and clear. They are also extremely excited when given the
chance to show off their ten-frame or put an example of a ten-frame for their classmates, which
enhances their overall enthusiasm about math as well as working with their peers. By showing
them early on that math can not only be a fun visual, but also something to do with their peers,
their attitudes about math have overall been greatly positive.

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References
Draeger,C.,&Wilson,D.(2016,March8).HowtoGiveStudentsMoreControlOverTheir
Learning.RetrievedMarch12,2016,from
http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2016/03/08/givestudentsmorecontrolovertheir
learning.html
Lane,C.(n.d.).Gardner'sMultipleIntelligences.RetrievedMarch09,2016,from
http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html
Masters,S.E.(2014,September).TenFrameMathToolstoHelpSupporttheCommonCore
FREE!RetrievedMarch13,2016,from
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/TenFrameMathToolstoHelpSupport
theCommonCoreFREE312020
Nursyahidah, F., Putri, R. I., & Somakim. (2013). SUPPORTING FIRST GRADE STUDENTS
UNDERSTANDING OF ADDITION UP TO 20 USING TRADITIONAL GAME.
IndoMS-JME, 4(2), 212-223. Retrieved March 1, 2016, from
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1078952.pdf
Salmah, U., Putri, R. I., & Somakim. (2013). Ten-Structure as Strategy of Addition 1-20 by
Involving Spatial Structuring Ability for First Grade Students. IndoMS-JME, 4(2), 212223. Retrieved March 1, 2016, from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1078952.pdf
VanDeWalle,J.A.,Karp,K.S.,&BayWilliams,J.M.(2016).ElementaryandMiddleSchool
Mathematics(9thed.).UpperSaddleRiver,NJ:Pearson.
Zhou, Z., & Peverly, S. T. (2005). TEACHING ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION TO FIRST
GRADERS: A CHINESE PERSPECTIVE. Psychology in the Schools, 42(3), 259-272.
Retrieved March 1, 2016, from

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http://web.a.ebscohost.com.uri.idm.oclc.org/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=4262eaccebef-4345-a242-2b2a6bfafb44@sessionmgr4004&vid=26&hid=4207