Relax with STEM Article by Tina Manzer, Editorial Director of EdPlay Magazine: Stress-reducing fidget toys, STEM, and Fractiles
Will the Real STEM Toys Please Stand Up Article by Mark Carson, President and Co-Founder of Fat Brain Toys. Fractiles is at the top of the list of Carson's favorite toys "contributing to STEM-related pursuits."
For
Teachers and Educators of Art, Math and Special
Education (K-12)
Fractiles-7
challenges, but does not frustrate.
Not
too easy, not too hard - the versatile and elegant
geometry of Fractiles-7 allows almost anyone to
create endless varieties of imaginative and beautiful
designs, ranging from simple to complex. With
192 magnetic tiles and a 12"x12" steel board,
Fractiles-7 is perfect for focus groups. And unlike
pattern blocks, these magnetic tiles stay put,
an especially helpful feature for students with
fine motor skill problems.
Fractiles-7
facilitates an intuitive grasp of spatial relationships
and invites deeper exploration.
Regular
use of Fractiles-7 increases visual perceptual
skills and visual analysis skills.
From
Dr. Jerome Rosner's guide for parents and teachers
"Helping Children Overcome Learning Difficulties",
Walker Publishing Company, 1993:
"Visual
perceptual skills and visual analysis skills are
critical to mastering Arithmetic and Mathematics.
The child who does not appreciate spatial relationships
(whose visual analysis skills are deficient) or
who lacks the ability to use spatial analysis
strategies will have to resort to keeping the
(math) problem in memory in its entirety, then
organizing it into a solvable problem - a very
difficult task indeed."
Simply
stated, satisfactory progress in arithmetic depends
upon the adequate development of visual perceptual
skills. If a child's visual analysis skills are
not properly developed, learning difficulties
are inevitable. Arithmetic cannot be mastered
through memorization.
Wisdom's House
As
a youngster begins to acquire better visual perceptual
and analysis skills, she begins to exercise these
skills in different situations. Signs of progress
include:
•
Better
scores on T.V.A.S. (Test of Visual Analysis
Skills).
•
Printing
and writing improvement.
•
Better
organized papers.
•
Demonstration
of a more orderly approach to day-to-day situations
- such as better organizing of time and efforts,
noticing of things that facilitate learning,
and so on.
Dr.
Rosner states that visual perceptual skills are
strongly linked to learning to read and write.
Improving visual analysis skills enables students
to respond better to instructional programs.
Of
course, Fractiles-7 does not take the place of
lessons, but your students may become more teachable
by playing regularly with Fractiles-7.
Games
and Lesson Plans are available in the Adobe
Portable Document Format (PDF;
size:130 KB), a printer-friendly format. You must
have Adobe Reader installed on your computer to
see and print the games and lesson plans. You
can download the free Adobe Reader software here.
If
you successfully use Fractiles in the classroom,
if you have a story about how Fractiles has fostered
learning, if you have a reference to a book or
magazine article that discusses subjects related
to Fractiles such as tessellations or seven-fold
symmetry, please send us an email with your ideas
or your story to: fractiles@fractiles.com,
and we'll post it as part of what this site offers.
"I
use Fractiles in my classroom as an outlet for
creativity. It is among the choices awaiting students
who have earned 'free time.' The responses have
been very positive! The students are at ease with
the format and welcome the chance to match the
designs on the folder and/or stake out their own
artistic territories. I have been delighted to
observe two or more students working together
in a cooperative manner!
Some of them would have loved to see their creations
preserved for eternity in a museum! Eventually
they conceded the need to yield the board and
the pieces to another student knowing that they'll
have another go at it when they earn the time!" -Gene Silver, Teacher, Kellogg
Middle School, Portland, OR
"My
first graders are learning about shapes in our
math class and using Fractiles-7 is a complimentary
activity which they thoroughly enjoy. It's so
popular that we have a sign up for equal turns!"
-Marilyn Bowker, First Grade
Teacher Willett Elementary School, Davis, CA
"I
find my students are captivated by Fractiles-7.
Their sense of pride and accomplishment is immense
when they show me what they have created. It makes
them feel extra special about math. What a motivator!
Fractiles is a terrific training aide that disguises
learning as fun. It is reasonable to predict that
Fractiles will remain a staple in my curriculum." -Bob Curry, Elementary School
Teacher The Learning Adventure School, San Diego,
CA
"My
8th grade students are fascinated with Fractiles
and enjoy making designs with them. Fractiles
is especially applicable because we are studying
geometric shapes and their relationships. I know
they will be useful for a long time." -Juanita Smith-Nakao, 8th Grade
Math Teacher James Curran Middle School, Bakersfield,
CA
"My
students love Fractiles!" -Patricia Hardwick, 4th Grade
Teacher Zilker Elementary School, Austin, TX
"My
7th and 8th graders live for free time so that
they can play with Fractiles." -Sandra Bullard, Teacher, The
Prentice School "Where children with dyslexia
learn to learn"
"Fractiles-7
is a tremendous addition to my grade 2 Math and
Design Program - plus the students love them!" -Sydney Tyler-Parker, Cabrillo
Elementary School, Pacifica, CA
