Algebra Tiles- from counting to completing the square

Tosha Caston-Smith shared with you:   Algebra Tiles- from counting to completing the square greatmathsteachingideas.com - I have become increasingly interested in visual models recently as a way of introducing topics. Visual models have the power to illustrate concepts in their rawest, simplest form without the misleading associations that words and abstract notation can introduce. I'm convinced concrete/visual model introductions should form an increased part of my practice, but the question that interests me is which visual models should I use? There are obviously many considerations, but one is how comprehensively they cover the syllabus. A visual model that demonstrates expanding brackets particularly well would not be that useful if it could not also demonstrate the concept of factorising. Through much reading I believe I have found two visual models that cover the vast majority of number and algebra topics. They are almost mutually exclusive too, complementing each other by covering different, rather than overlapping parts of the curriculum. Available on the App Store.

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