As if LEGOs weren’t enough of an awesome childhood toy, one teacher has found another awesome educational/developmental use for this super-toy – as a math education aid! Alycia Zimmerman, a 3rd-grade teacher in New York, uses them to explain fractions, squares and other mathematical concepts.
“In the classroom, the tiny bricks are now my favorite possibility-packed math manipulative,” she writes in an article for Scholastic that goes more into depth about these bricks’ potential uses.
More info: scholastic.com (h/t: designyoutrust)
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Ha! That's a really smart and creative way to teach a child! Why didn't they teach us like that?!
They die. A Abakus ist exactly that But without advertising s**t
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Not to argue the point, but no S for the Lego company name but yes for the pieces.
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Hmmm it’s very much LEGOs... You see a parking lot full of one brand of car you say “it’s full of Chevys” not “it’s full of Chevy” you go to footlocker and you see a wall of one brand of shoes you you said “Jordan’s” or “adidas” Because you know that’s how the English language works. So you have a pile of LEGO bricks on the floor you say it’s a pile of LEGOs....
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The plural of Lego is Lego. Legos is a popular brand of pasta and pasta sauces...
Yep, that irritates me, it's so commonly misused that they even explain it on the LEGO website, it's never Legos! I'm sure they always spell it all in upper case too, like IKEA!
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It's good, but the usage of colors will be confusing to a lot of children, you need to stick to the same ones. 1/4 can not just change from blue to orange all of a sudden.
This is not new at all hello who can remember cuisenaire blocks from school in the 60's same teaching just a different version copy really
Also, when I was in middle school, back in the early 2000's, our teacher used chocolate bars to explain this part to us. But who cares if it's not new. Such things are always welcome.
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I wonder if Lego can explain dividing fractions by another fraction. I know how to calculate it but I could never figure out what's going on.
Sure it can. Take (3/4) / (1/2). What we're really asking is "how many times can a 'half piece' fit into a 'three-fourths' piece?" Picture the half piece and three-fourths piece in the first photo of this series and it's easy to see that the answer is one and one-half times.
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Creativity is NOT one of my strong suits. I am a story teller and my students loved this at closing time. Sometimes the buses were delayed and the ones in my line would beg for stories. This Math concept is exactly what every child could relate both tactile and relative.
BoredPanda and all of you who think every plural has an ‘s’ or ‘es’ at the end... LEGO is a singular plural. You have one LEGO part, and many LEGO parts. Just like there is one sheep, and many sheep. One fish, many fish. Plus, LEGO is a trademark, so you do not pluralise it. Some things do annoy those in education. Even those of us who have our own issues with language. We tend to get even more annoyed.
Awesome idea! Beats the extra cost of plain ol' manipulatives and then the Kids can play and build with them. To the 'Lego company name' police, jeez, get a life. Who cares what their called!
The only “smart” comment is the one praising the teachers’ efforts by using Legos to teach. The rest of the comments are so useless, they weren’t worth wasting my time to read. That’s all that was taken from this article was the spelling of Legos
I don’t understand this teaching method of fractions. I guess I’m used to learning it the old fashion way.
Too funny! This is exactly the same thing as using cuisinaire rods to teach math as was done in the early 1960's. It was abandoned not too long after as being too "cumbersome!"
Wow! All some of us got out of this was “this isn’t new!” Who cares? It is not new to your old behinds, but it is new to a young child just learning math. Nothing in this article indicates that this was “new approach” to teaching. It tells us that this is the way this teacher found as a means for what works for her students! The point SHOULD simply be here is a way to help students understand fractions. Period. I am very afraid of math. Maybe if this “old, antiquated” way (since its emergence in the educational world seems to be more important to some people) had been used with me, I would be able to handle math. There; I called it old. Do we feel better now?
Thanks Gail, I’m 46 and ready to pull out my sons LEGO’s and use them increase and decrease the ingredients in some of my favorite recipes. Also why are so many people fascinated by how the word LEGO is spelled/pronounced. I thought this was a mathematical post not grammar. Maybe we can find out what this teacher uses to help her 3rd grade class understand language arts.
Load More Replies...
I have a sister-in-law who has a Math Masters Degree, and who also helps to co-author math cirriculum. I Shared this to her. This method is awesome to understand! thank you for Sharing this!
This is a great idea. I also came across this fantastic video that showed how teachers are using create, design, and innovate activities to promote 21st century thinking skills for kids as young as K-3rd grade This single product will REVOLUTIONIZE the learning in your classroom. Your students will LOVE this product and BEG to do the stations every week! THAT IS A PROMISE. Innovation Stations are 21st Century Learning Centers that can be implemented in any K-3 classroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm_kaBcPQQg
I homeschool all my kids, and I used this method! It was the only way my sons could grasp fractions! This isn't as new as they're advertising it, though.
How is this new? Teachers have been using manipulatives for ages.
This is just a modern take on Cuisinaires which Australian schools used in the 60s, 70s and at some point stopped using
What a clever way to use the popular Lego movie to attract kids to Cuisenaire rods. Lego is so in right now (there is even a global shortage due to Lego's current popularity). In the 60's these were used at my husband's grade school on the West Coast and my grade school on the East Coast. We loved them. Kids are so brand conscious nowadays, and I bet it is a whole lot easier to get people to donate old Legos to a classroom than old Cuisenaire rods.
wonderful. It really makes it easy for those of us who aren't mathematical conceptualizers.
I wish they had this when I was starting school. I would have grasped concepts much better and faster than I did through the dry workbook method. I was so lost back then.
I might say cool, if a 3d grade teacher wasn't teacher Kindergarten and 1st grade math.
After budgets cuts, teachers started using Legos along time ago to teach fractions. I started using them as well as others at least 20 years ago.
With budget cuts, teachers turned to Legos along time ago to teach fractions.
Mmmm I’m pretty sure LEGO’s is a fine term. You see a parking lot full of one brand of cars you say “chevy’s” or “Jeeps” or “BMWs” Because that’s how English works.... it’s LEGO’s....
I Copyrighted a Board Game to teach kids about Money and Levels of Worth.Type James Stubits on YouTube.Hats Off to THIS Teacher.GREAT JOB!
It's wonderful. But it's LEGO, singular and plural. Think sheep. No such things as Legos, or even LEGOs. LEGO pieces, LEGO bricks. Simples.
Ha! That's a really smart and creative way to teach a child! Why didn't they teach us like that?!
They die. A Abakus ist exactly that But without advertising s**t
Load More Replies... Not to argue the point, but no S for the Lego company name but yes for the pieces.
Load More Replies... Hmmm it’s very much LEGOs... You see a parking lot full of one brand of car you say “it’s full of Chevys” not “it’s full of Chevy” you go to footlocker and you see a wall of one brand of shoes you you said “Jordan’s” or “adidas” Because you know that’s how the English language works. So you have a pile of LEGO bricks on the floor you say it’s a pile of LEGOs....
Load More Replies... The plural of Lego is Lego. Legos is a popular brand of pasta and pasta sauces...
Yep, that irritates me, it's so commonly misused that they even explain it on the LEGO website, it's never Legos! I'm sure they always spell it all in upper case too, like IKEA!
Load More Replies... It's good, but the usage of colors will be confusing to a lot of children, you need to stick to the same ones. 1/4 can not just change from blue to orange all of a sudden.
This is not new at all hello who can remember cuisenaire blocks from school in the 60's same teaching just a different version copy really
Also, when I was in middle school, back in the early 2000's, our teacher used chocolate bars to explain this part to us. But who cares if it's not new. Such things are always welcome.
Load More Replies... I wonder if Lego can explain dividing fractions by another fraction. I know how to calculate it but I could never figure out what's going on.
Sure it can. Take (3/4) / (1/2). What we're really asking is "how many times can a 'half piece' fit into a 'three-fourths' piece?" Picture the half piece and three-fourths piece in the first photo of this series and it's easy to see that the answer is one and one-half times.
Load More Replies... Creativity is NOT one of my strong suits. I am a story teller and my students loved this at closing time. Sometimes the buses were delayed and the ones in my line would beg for stories. This Math concept is exactly what every child could relate both tactile and relative.
BoredPanda and all of you who think every plural has an ‘s’ or ‘es’ at the end... LEGO is a singular plural. You have one LEGO part, and many LEGO parts. Just like there is one sheep, and many sheep. One fish, many fish. Plus, LEGO is a trademark, so you do not pluralise it. Some things do annoy those in education. Even those of us who have our own issues with language. We tend to get even more annoyed.
Awesome idea! Beats the extra cost of plain ol' manipulatives and then the Kids can play and build with them. To the 'Lego company name' police, jeez, get a life. Who cares what their called!
The only “smart” comment is the one praising the teachers’ efforts by using Legos to teach. The rest of the comments are so useless, they weren’t worth wasting my time to read. That’s all that was taken from this article was the spelling of Legos
I don’t understand this teaching method of fractions. I guess I’m used to learning it the old fashion way.
Too funny! This is exactly the same thing as using cuisinaire rods to teach math as was done in the early 1960's. It was abandoned not too long after as being too "cumbersome!"
Wow! All some of us got out of this was “this isn’t new!” Who cares? It is not new to your old behinds, but it is new to a young child just learning math. Nothing in this article indicates that this was “new approach” to teaching. It tells us that this is the way this teacher found as a means for what works for her students! The point SHOULD simply be here is a way to help students understand fractions. Period. I am very afraid of math. Maybe if this “old, antiquated” way (since its emergence in the educational world seems to be more important to some people) had been used with me, I would be able to handle math. There; I called it old. Do we feel better now?
Thanks Gail, I’m 46 and ready to pull out my sons LEGO’s and use them increase and decrease the ingredients in some of my favorite recipes. Also why are so many people fascinated by how the word LEGO is spelled/pronounced. I thought this was a mathematical post not grammar. Maybe we can find out what this teacher uses to help her 3rd grade class understand language arts.
Load More Replies... I have a sister-in-law who has a Math Masters Degree, and who also helps to co-author math cirriculum. I Shared this to her. This method is awesome to understand! thank you for Sharing this!
This is a great idea. I also came across this fantastic video that showed how teachers are using create, design, and innovate activities to promote 21st century thinking skills for kids as young as K-3rd grade This single product will REVOLUTIONIZE the learning in your classroom. Your students will LOVE this product and BEG to do the stations every week! THAT IS A PROMISE. Innovation Stations are 21st Century Learning Centers that can be implemented in any K-3 classroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bm_kaBcPQQg
I homeschool all my kids, and I used this method! It was the only way my sons could grasp fractions! This isn't as new as they're advertising it, though.
How is this new? Teachers have been using manipulatives for ages.
This is just a modern take on Cuisinaires which Australian schools used in the 60s, 70s and at some point stopped using
What a clever way to use the popular Lego movie to attract kids to Cuisenaire rods. Lego is so in right now (there is even a global shortage due to Lego's current popularity). In the 60's these were used at my husband's grade school on the West Coast and my grade school on the East Coast. We loved them. Kids are so brand conscious nowadays, and I bet it is a whole lot easier to get people to donate old Legos to a classroom than old Cuisenaire rods.
wonderful. It really makes it easy for those of us who aren't mathematical conceptualizers.
I wish they had this when I was starting school. I would have grasped concepts much better and faster than I did through the dry workbook method. I was so lost back then.
I might say cool, if a 3d grade teacher wasn't teacher Kindergarten and 1st grade math.
After budgets cuts, teachers started using Legos along time ago to teach fractions. I started using them as well as others at least 20 years ago.
With budget cuts, teachers turned to Legos along time ago to teach fractions.
Mmmm I’m pretty sure LEGO’s is a fine term. You see a parking lot full of one brand of cars you say “chevy’s” or “Jeeps” or “BMWs” Because that’s how English works.... it’s LEGO’s....
I Copyrighted a Board Game to teach kids about Money and Levels of Worth.Type James Stubits on YouTube.Hats Off to THIS Teacher.GREAT JOB!
It's wonderful. But it's LEGO, singular and plural. Think sheep. No such things as Legos, or even LEGOs. LEGO pieces, LEGO bricks. Simples.
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