Using Concreteness in Education: Real Problems, Potential Solutions

Abstract

Abstract— A growing body of research suggests that the use of concrete materials is not a sure‐fire strategy for helping children succeed in the classroom. Instead, concrete materials can help or hinder learning, depending on a number of different factors. Taken together, the articles in this issue highlight the complexities involved in using concrete materials in the classroom and warn educators and researchers that students’ learning from concrete materials can be derailed in a number of ways, such as (a) choosing the wrong types of materials, (b) structuring the environment in ways that do not support learning from concrete materials, and (c) failing to connect concrete representations to abstract representations. Each of these problems is discussed and some potential solutions are offered.

Motivating Children to Learn Effectively: Exploring the Value of Intrinsic Integration in Educational Games

“…Brown, McNeil & Glenberg, 2009). It encourages learners to play and interact with representations (Uttal et al, 2009) so potentially making it harder for learners to see them as representations rather than objects of interest in their own right (e.g.…”

Toward an embodied-interaction design framework for mathematical concepts

“…In terms of its implications for educational policy, the question of conceptual ontogenesis is not new either-the issue consistently fuels and is fueled by heated policy debates over the controversial use of concrete objects and imagery in mathematics curriculum (e.g., [12,43,45]). However, there is potential novelty in our approach due to our technology, methodology, and theoretical concerns.…”

Benefits of “concreteness fading” for children's mathematics understanding

“…Such materials have several potential benefits. For example, concrete materials can activate intuitive, real-world knowledge during learning (Baranes, Perry, & Stigler, 1989;Kotovsky, Hayes, & Simon, 1985), enable learners to construct their own knowledge of abstract concepts (Brown, McNeil, & Glenberg, 2009), and prompt physical action, which has been shown to improve understanding and retention (e.g., Martin & Schwartz, 2005). However, the mere use of concrete materials does not guarantee success (McNeil & Jarvin, 2007).…”