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Reviews All articles reproduced with permission My Child Review - Sept/Oct 2008 Times Educational Supplement - May 2007 Special Children Review - April/May 2006 Special Needs Information Press - June 2006 Home Education Advisory Service - May 2006 Teaching & Learning Review - Sept/Oct 2005 Teaching & Learning Review - January 2005 Special Children Review - Sept/Oct 2003 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - My Child Review - Sept/Oct 2008
WHAT WAS THE BEST THING ABOUT THE RESOURCE? The best thing about this resource was that it looked and felt great, the children really enjoyed fiddling with it, and it was fun for all of them to do together. WHAT WAS THE WORST THING? The worse thing about this resource was that it was hard to convince the elder two that it was a 'game'! WHAT NEW SKILLS DID THEY LEARN? There was quite a lot of new voca bulary for the children to learn, for example, 'factors', 'quotients', 'multiplied by' and 'divided by'. Jamie learnt a lot from the fraction and percentage Flexitable. It took him a while to master but he gave it his best shot. KIDS' VERDICT Jamie thought of it more as something that might help him at school rather than something he would play with. Alfie and Rosie liked me shouting questions at them and them racing to find the answers. WOULD YOU RECOMMEND BUYING FLEXITABLE? Yes I would recommend buying this product; they are light and easy to store and would be good to refer to in helping reinforce the children's maths skills. Rating: * * * * * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Times Educational Supplement - May 2007
So when it comes to teaching numbers, Flexitables are a resource worth getting your hands on. They are folding soft plastic number grids for helping children get to grips with number operations, fractions, percentages and decimals. We already use number grids, of course. The children stick them in the back of their maths books and we use them on the interactive whiteboard. The difference is that Flexitables are made of soft, pliable PVC that children can touch, hold and manipulate. These conceptual tools are fun to use and give children a sense of control and ownership of numbers. They have a personal touch about them that children will enjoy. They allow pupils to play with numbers and get to know them better. And they have a great shelf life because they won't end up being torn or thrown away. So, how can a Flexitable compete with a multimedia number grid? Well, they don't have to square up to each other. They can work hand in hand and contribute to different learning styles. And this affordable resource would make an ideal addition to a maths kit. Each grid comes with a set of well written and comprehensive user notes. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Special Children Review - April/May 2006
The Flexitable Fraction Grid is an ingenious, easy-to-use, flexible PVC/soft plastic grid from Flexitable Limited, which enables children to continually fold and unfold vertical and horizontal channels, to find equivalent fractions, percentages and decimal values. The Fraction Grid shows the relationship between fractions and percentages on the front face with the equivalents decimal values on the back. This simple learning tool supports the curriculum and gives children the opportunity to enjoy and explore maths kinaesthetically, make observations and record comments for group discussions. Folding these durable grids again and again helps children to find the different ways of expressing the fractions, percentages and decimals of the same value that make up a whole whilst addressing all learning styles. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Special Needs Information Press - June 2006 Flexitable Fractions A recent addition to the Flexitable range. This one like the others, consists of a 20 cm square plastic and easily bendable table to support pupils with mathematical activities. The Fractions Flexitable has lines equivalent to a whole one and their fractions and percentages to identify the bits of the whole. Useful and tough. At £2 each they are of great value in the teaching of both fractions and percentages. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Home Education Advisory Service - May 2006 Flexitable Grids Flexitable grids are 20cm squared number grids with horizontal and vertical channels. They are printed with lead-free ink on soft plastic which may be folded again and again without being damaged. They were invented by a teacher who wanted to help children to master the four basic principles of mathematics in an enjoyable and interactive way. The four grids, Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, 100 Number Square, and Fractions and Decimals are simple yet ingenious learning tools. They are both visual and tactile and they are useful for children of all abilities including those with special educational needs. They provide an enjoyable way for children to explore number patterns and to gain mathe-matical insights. Each grid is supplied with teaching notes which are also free to download from the website. Flexitable's website also has product reviews and videos showing the grids in use. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Teaching & Learning Review - Sept/Oct 2005 Fraction Grid
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Teaching & Learning Review - January 2005 Number Grid
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Special Children Review - Sept/Oct 2003
All pluses and no minuses Special Children looks at ‘Flexitable’ - a simple way to help children develop four essential mathematical skills Introduction ‘Flexitable’ is an ingenious classroom resource that can help children develop four essential mathematical operations. The tables are simplicity itself, comprising of a small grid, sized 20cm squared with vertical and horizontal channels moulded into soft, pliable plastic. The idea behind the tables is for them to be continually folded and unfolded again and again - allowing children to find the answers to mathematical problems requiring the use of addition/subtraction and multiplication/division. The table was invented by a Yorkshire teaching assistant, Linda Mangles, who wanted to make the learning of multiplication tables more enjoyable for her classes. She wanted lessons to be more interactive with the pupils and to have them enjoy maths and explore numbers so that they could discover square roots, understand that division was the opposite of multiplication and realise the relationship between odd and even numbers. How do the tables work? Each grid has the numbers 1 to 10 running across the top and down the left side. For the multiplication/division table the numbers are in red and for the addition/subtraction table they are orange. Multiplication/division The red numbers that run across the top of the grid and down the far left-hand side act as the multipliers and multiplicands in multiplication. In division they act as the divisors and quotients. For the multiplication/division table all the children have to do is fold the table under and alongside the two numbers they are working with. So, for example if the question was ‘what is 4 x 4?’ the children would fold the table under the number 4 running horizontally from the left and next to the number 4 running vertically from the top. The answer (16) is then shown in the bottom right-hand corner. Addition/subtraction The orange numbers that run across the top of the grid and down the far left-hand side act as the addends in addition. In subtraction they act as the subtrahends and differences. As with the multiplication/division table, all the children have to do is fold the table under and alongside the two numbers they are working with. The addition/subtraction table can also be used to find number patterns. Using the tables To discover what practising teachers think of this resource, Special Children spoke to Elli Harrington. Elli Harrington is Centre Director of The Learnscape Learning Success Centre in Wombourne, South Staffordshire. Elli is wholly enthusiastic about the tables. “Flexitable Maths Grids are a means of learning - a learning tool. When it comes to learning about multiplication and division or addition and subtraction these grids win hands down every time. This is true right across the ability-board, from gifted and talented children to those with learning difficulties.” Elli continued: “Because the tables make mathematical processes concrete, they offer me a means to model mathematical processes and my pupils a means to externalise their thinking about them. This externalising isn’t just visual either; it’s tactile too. Children can physically manipulate the tables - a real boon, I’ve found, when teaching those with ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome. So you can see how these tables help me promote active learning. By externalising mathematical thinking (mine as well as my pupils), they provide a focus for my dialogue and interaction with the children. A genuinely multimedia interaction too: these tables help me to exploit the triad of learning styles - visual, auditory and kinaesthetic.” “Of course the tables can only do all this because they posses the necessary material or technical properties. As well being visually attractive and pleasant to handle, these moulded plastic sheets are pliable, portable and very durable - my set has been in constant use for over two years now. Equally important, they are inexpensive to buy. I regularly sell copies to parents. After a brief introductory session, where the children explain how the tables work, parents actually enjoy helping them with mathematics at home. And because these tables fold easily into a pencil case or pocket, children happily take them into school as well.” So what does Elli value most about the tables? “It’s the mathematical insight they help us to build, both with young children starting out on mathematics and with those of any age struggling with the basics. Similarly, in the process it’s the all-round confidence the tables help us to build as well. Insight and confidence are of course vital ingredients (and vital measures too) of independent learning.” Is there a downside to the tables? “No. Well, nothing that I’ve found in two years anyway.” Conclusions Although the tables look very low tech, they work on a remarkably simple principle. This simplicity is what makes them so special. They are not expensive; they last a long time; are small enough to be taken easily from home to school and back again; and are incredibly easy to use. Children of all abilities often struggle with the basics of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and without an understanding of these four principles any mathematical problem will seem impossible. These four operations are the foundation stones of all mathematics so anything that can help children learn and develop them is a must-have. Star ratings: Curriculum compatibility * * * * * NHS compatability * * * * * Ease of use * * * * * Vlue for money * * * * * Overall * * * * * |
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Creative pupils need creative teachers. Creative teachers need creative resources. They also need simple ones that contribute effectively to learning.
Flexible fractions, percentages and decimals...
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