202 OcIober 2012 teaching children mathematics | Vol. 19, No. 3 www.nctm.

org
technology from the classroom
Pamel a Edwards Johnson, Mel i ssa Campet,
Kel sey Gaber, and Emma Zui dema
Virtual manipulatives
to assess understanding
standing. In this article, the authors discuss
what they learned about assessing with virtual
manipulatives and offer suggestions for how
teachers can structure one-on-one discussions
with students while using online tools.
Virtual manipulativesinteractive, online
representations of concrete materials typically
used in a mathematics classroomare avail-
able at such websites as NCTMs Illuminations,
the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
(NLVM), and Shodors Interactivate (2012).
These sites and others offer free, well-designed
manipulatives, such as base-ten blocks, ten
frames, spinners, solid gures, pattern blocks,
and Cuisenaire

rods. Most sites also provide

interactive symbolic and pictorial representa-
tions, including graphs, number lines, and area
and set models of fractions. Virtual manipula-
tives are typically used during the investigation
phase of a mathematics lesson, for skill solidi-
cation, or less commonly, to introduce a topic
or support learning with online games (Moyer-
Packenham, Salkind, and Bolyard 2008). The
authors extended the virtual manipulatives by
using them as tools for assessment.
When selecting online tools for assessment,
teachers should consider guidelines for mean-
ingful technology integration, including con-
sideration of the extent to which the online tool
addresses the target math content, the ways in
which the tool takes advantage of technology,
and how to elicit responses that would yield
meaningful insights about student understand-
ing. Even when concrete manipulatives are
available, virtual ones add value by integrating
pictorial, verbal, and symbolic representa-
tions while allowing students to move objects
in the same way they would move concrete
manipulatives (Moyer-Packenham, Salkind,
and Bolyard 2008). Those used for this project
were Base-Ten Blocks Addition in the National
Library of Virtual Manipulatives, Shodors
FractionsComparing, and ABCyas Interactive
100 Number Chart.
Q
From Logo programming in the 1980s
to downloadable apps for todays most
popular mobile devices, mathematics
teachers have long used technology to expand
the boundaries of assessment and instructional
practice. As the Technology Principle (NCTM
2000) describes, technology can provide pow-
erful visual models, can promote conjecturing,
and can encourage ownership of mathemati-
cal ideas. In the following study, three preser-
vice teachers (co-authors of this article) used
technology as an assessment tool during one-
on-one clinical interviews with elementary-
school-age students. As part of a graduate-level
course taught by the lead author, the prospec-
tive teachers presented open-ended prob-
lems to students in grades 25 and noted the
students strategies, approaches, and under-
M
O
R
G
A
N

L
A
N
E

P
H
O
T
O
G
R
A
P
H
Y
/
V
E
E
R
Well-designed, free,
interactive virtual
manipulatives add
value to instruction
even when concrete
manipulatives are
available. The authors
used several as
assessment tools
during one-on-one
interviews.
Copyright 2012 The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Inc. www.nctm.org. All rights reserved.
This material may not be copied or distributed electronically or in any other format without written permission from NCTM.
www.nctm.org Vol. 19, No. 3 | UFBDIJOHDIJMESFONBUIFNBUJDTtOctober 2012 203
s How did you reach that conclusion?
s Can you use the pieces on the screen to show
what you are thinking?
s Tell me why you are (shading that in,
moving that part, selecting that portion, and
so on).
s Why do you think that answer was incorrect?
s What if the problem started with instead
of with ?
s Do you think that strategy will work with the
next problem? Why, or why not?
Just-in-time instruction
In addition to providing information about
students knowledge and problem-solving
strategies, the interviews also exposed stu-
dents misconceptions. The preservice teachers
took advantage of the instructional opportuni-
ties afforded by the virtual manipulatives to
re inforce the target concepts. For example,
Kelsey Gaber used virtual base-ten blocks to
assess a students understanding of addition.
At the beginning of the interview, the stu-
dent repeatedly added tens and ones without
understanding the difference in place value.
(An example of an error pattern resulting
from this might be 5 tens plus 4 ones equals
9.) Gaber could support the students devel-
opment of place-value concepts by using the
virtual manipulative to lasso ten unit blocks
Through subsequent written reections and
discussions about the project, the prospec-
tive teachers found that virtual manipulatives
complemented and extended hands-on and
pencil-and-paper activities. Specically, online
tools helped them assess students problem-
solving strategies and mathematical under-
standing and supplied scaffolding for just-in-
time teaching about the target content. From
a professional development standpoint, they
recognized the importance of carefully evaluat-
ing online tools and identied the constraints
of using virtual manipulatives during a clinical
interview.
Assessing
Virtual manipulatives expose students under-
standing and problem-solving strategies in
several ways. For example, when assessing stu-
dents understanding of equivalency using the
area model of fractions, Melissa Campet found
that virtual manipulatives allowed students to
illustrate and check conjectures by changing
the fractional parts instantaneously. The applet
offered immediate feedback, so students were
able to quickly see exactly what each equiva-
lent fraction looked like. Students actions of
increasing or decreasing fractional portions,
combined with their responses to Campets
questions, illustrated the extent of their ability
to compare fractions and recognize equiva-
lency (see g. 1).
Emma Zuidema found it useful to ask
questions about students thinking as they
created patterns on hundred charts. The
paintbrush feature allowed students to easily
create and erase patterns with a click of the
mouse; while they worked, Zuidema asked
them to explain the patterns. She recognized
that the important part of this assessment
was students analyses of the patterns they
were creating, not the physical marking of
the patterns. The virtual manipulative and
accompanying dialogue placed the emphasis
on the explanation and analysis of the pattern,
rather than on physically marking a hundred
chart. From this, Zuidema learned that students
could easily mark and explain several different
number patterns. To expose students thinking
and understanding while working with virtual
manipulatives, teachers should ask such
questions as the following:
Compared with using virtual
manipulatives, using physical ones
to represent equivalent fractions
would have taken longer and
would not necessarily have
supplied anonymous, reliable
feedback (the computer).
F
I
G
U
R
E

1
204 OcIober 2012 teaching children mathematics | Vol. 19, No. 3 www.nctm.org
technology from the classroom
s Watch what happens when I.
s Try using the hint provided on the screen.
Finally, teaching strategies that are effective
with concrete manipulatives can also be used
with virtual manipulatives.
Selecting virtual tools
As the Technology Principle (NCTM 2000)
notes, teachers make critical choices about
using technology in the classroom: which tools
to use, how to use them, and how to interact
with students while they use technology. One
of the most important outcomes of this study
was the preservice teachers recognition of the
importance of selecting high-quality online
tools.
Zuidema believed that the first step in
selecting a useful virtual manipulative was fully
understanding the content by studying such
resources as the state standards and the classic
text Elementary and Middle School Mathemat-
ics: Teaching Developmentally (Van de Walle,
Karp, and Bay-Williams 2010). After thoroughly
studying the content, she felt more condent
about selecting online resources.
Gaber noted that there are many manipula-
tives and games that can be integrated into the
teaching of mathematics, of which some are
good, others not so much, and that it is worth-
while to take the time to explore the tools and
evaluate them to nd those that best address
the target math concept.
Similarly, Campet explained that she found
several online fraction tools that could have
been used during the interview. However, she
felt that the Comparing Fractions applet would
expose a deeper level of student understanding
and support a higher level of questioning than
other tools that addressed the same content.
In addition to identifying tools that best
amplied the target math content, the prospec-
tive teachers also noticed other characteristics
that increased the value of the virtual manipu-
latives. Gaber selected Base-ten Blocks Addi-
tion in part because it allowed her to manually
enter problems. The Fraction Comparison
randomly generated problems, and Campet
noted that she would have preferred the option
to purposefully select numbers to match a
students instructional level. In summary,
when selecting virtual manipulatives, teachers
(see g. 2a) to make one unit of ten (see g. 2b).
Then she emphasized the meaning of writing
digits in the tens and ones places. By the end
of the interview, the student was able to cor-
rectly add tens and ones, although follow-up
instruction and practice would undoubtedly be
required to solidify conceptual understanding
and computational uency.
The exibility of the virtual manipulative
extended Gabers opportunity to teach place-
value concepts because she could quickly
move from smaller to bigger numbers. NLVMs
Base-ten Blocks Addition was easy to modify
and adapt as the students understanding grew.
Higher numbers could be used as the student
accurately conceptualized tens and ones, and
the virtual tool was easier to use than dozens of
physical base-ten blocks. If one-on-one discus-
sions are conducted in a context with limited
space, resources, and time, it is essential that
the assessment tools be easily adaptable to
match students levels of understanding.
Because the computer is the ultimate author-
ity when working with virtual manipulatives,
opportunities exist for cognitive dissonance
when a students answer is incorrect. Teachers
should seize the teachable moment and use
the manipulative to help the student develop
conceptual or procedural knowledge. Below are
some questions and prompts to support just-in-
time teaching:
s Try a similar problem with simpler numbers.
s How would this look if we used a number
line (or a set of objects, or a rectangle, etc.)?
F
I
G
U
R
E

2
The way in which the online tool connected the unit blocks
and moved them to the tens column helped Gabers student
visualize an abstract concept.
(a) (b)
www.nctm.org Vol. 19, No. 3 | UFBDIJOHDIJMESFONBUIFNBUJDTtOctober 2012 205
should consider the alignment between the
activity and the target math content, the ex-
ibility of the problem set, the tools potential
for increasing student motivation, and the
teachers own knowledge of the math content
and online activity.
Drawbacks
Although the preservice teachers had care-
fully reviewed the resources while planning
the assessment, when using the tools they had
selected, they discovered a few shortcomings,
mostly related to a lack of options for teacher
input. Gaber would have liked to represent
two-digit numbers in terms of unit blocks, but
Base 10 Blocks Addition automatically repre-
sented two-digit numbers as tens and ones.
As previously mentioned, Campet recognized
during the assessment that she needed the
option to select more appropriate fractions for
a particular students ability.
A larger concern was that during subsequent
eldwork in elementary school classrooms, the
preservice teachers observed few technology-
based lessons or assessments. They noted that
their supervising teachers rarely, if ever, used
technology when teaching math. They conjec-
tured that the veteran teachers did not have
enough time or felt uneasy about integrating
technology into their lessons. Although these
beginning teachers were eager to learn to use
technology to teach math (as evidenced by their
participation in this reective study), to develop
the dispositions and pedagogical approaches
that will help them fully integrate technology
into their teaching, they will need modeling
by practitioners who are more experienced
(Meagher, zgn-Koca, and Edwards 2011).
Relevancy
Conducting a diagnostic interview with a set of
guiding questions and carefully selected virtual
manipulatives helped the preservice teachers
in this study expose students understanding.
ParIicipaIihg ih NC1M's Member ReIerral Program is fun,
easy, and rewarding. All you have Io do is reIer
colleagues, prospecIive Ieachers, Iriehds, ahd oIhers Ior
membership. 1heh as our humbers go up, waIch your
rewards add up.
Learh more abouI Ihe program, Ihe giIIs, ahd easy ways Learh more abouI Ihe program, Ihe giIIs, ahd easy ways
Io ehcourage your colleagues Io joih NC1M aI
www.nctm.org/referraI. Help oIhers learh oI Ihe mahy
beheIiIs oI ah NC1M membership-Get started today!
/$5.T
.FNCFS3FGFSSBM
1SPHSBN
Lat's Add Up! 8afar. 8aca|va.
mbrref0512 jcurnals
206 OcIober 2012 teaching children mathematics | Vol. 19, No. 3 www.nctm.org
technology from the classroom
Rather than looking at a typical paper-and-
pencil assessment and making inferences about
students thinking, the preservice teachers
observed students acting on mathematical tasks
and asked them to explain the thinking behind
their actions.
Although this article describes the experi-
ences of preservice teachers, the uses of virtual
manipulatives discussed here may be of interest
to any teacher who incorporates technology into
his or her mathematics instruction. Improved
understanding about students problem-solving
approaches, opportunities for professional
growth, and critical technology use are relevant
issues for all math teachers.
BI BLI OGRAPHY
ABCya.com. 2012. Interactive 100 Number
Chart: Number Patterns. http://www.abcya
.com/interactive_100_number_chart.htm.
Meagher, Michael, S. Asl zgn-Koca, and
Michael Todd Edwards. 2011. Preservice
Teachers Experiences with Advanced Digital
Technologies: The Interplay between Tech-
nology in a Preservice Classroom and in
Field Placements. Contemporary Issues in
Technology and Teacher Education 11 (3):
24370. http://www.citejournal.org/vol11/
iss3/mathematics/article1.cfm.
Mishra, Punya, and Matthew J. Koeher. 2006.
Technological Pedagogical Content Knowl-
edge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge.
Teachers College Record 108 (6): 101754.
Moyer-Packenham, Patricia, Gwenanne Salkind,
and Johnna J. Bolyard. 2008. Virtual
Manipulatives Used by K8 Teachers for
Mathematics Instruction: Considering
Mathematical, Cognitive, and Pedagogical
Fidelity. Contemporary Issues in Technology
and Teacher Education 8 (3): 20218. http://
www.citejournal.org/vol8/iss3/mathematics/
article1.cfm.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
(NCTM). 2000. Principles and Standards for
School Mathematics. Reston, VA: NCTM.
National Library of Virtual Manipulatives
(NLVM). 2010. Base-Ten Blocks Addi-
tion. Number and Operations (All Grade
Bands). http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_
asid_154_g_1_t_1.html.
Shodor. 2012. FractionsComparing.
http://www.shodor.org/.
. 2012. Interactivate: Home Page.
http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/.
Van de Walle, John A., Karen S. Karp, and
Jennifer M. Bay-Williams. 2010. Elementary
and Middle School Mathematics: Teaching
Developmentally. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Pamela Edwards Johnson, edwards.pamelaj@
gmail.com, is afliated with the elementary educa-
tion and mathematics education leadership programs
at George Mason University (GMU). She is interested
in preservice teacher education and middle school
mathematics. Melissa Campet, mtrulock@mason
live.gmu.edu, Kelsey Gaber, kgaber@masonlive
.gmu.edu, and Emma Zuidema, ezuidema@
masonlive.gmu.edu, recently graduated from GMU
with initial teacher licensure and a Masters of Educa-
tion degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Edited by
Spencer Jamieson, Spencer.jamieson@fcps.edu, a
math resource teacher for the Instructional Services
Department of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in
Virginia; Patricia W. Freeman, pfreema1@gmu
.edu, who teaches algebra 1 and geometry to eighth-
grader students at Franklin Middle School in Chantilly,
Virginia, while pursuing a doctorate in Mathematics
Education Leadership at GMU; and Courtney Baker,
cbaker@gmu.edu, who is a math consultant for
FCPS and a GMU doctoral student. Technology
from the Classroom is the venue for sharing articles
that illustrate the effective use of technology in
pre-Kgrade 6 math classrooms. Make submissions
of no more than 1500 words to this department
through tcm.msubmit.net. Find detailed submission
guidelines for all departments at www.nctm.org/
tcmdepartments.
Celebrate National Metric Week
NCTM launched this celebration in 1976, a year after Congress and
President Ford signed the Metric Conversion Act designating the
international system of units (SI) as the preferred system of weights
and measures for U.S. trade and commerce.
Emphasizing the simplicity and importance of metrics and
promoting metric awareness and understanding are year-round
endeavors, but you can celebrate metrics annually during the week
in which October 10 falls. The tenth day of the tenth month was
chosen to emphasize that metrics is based on units of 10.
This year, the 36th annual National Metric Week begins
October 7.