Phone Call from the Trenches

Got a phone call today from a high school teacher. He was told by his supervisor that he needs to use more manipulatives in class, so he was hoping that I could recommend a manipulative that he could use in geometry class. Nice. More focus by the administration on the means than on the ends.

I gave him a few ideas, my impressions of the lay of the land, and the suggestion that the librarians / media specialists at his school might be able to help him find a book with more information.

Also alarming: he described his "basic high school geometry course" as covering topics such as perimeter, area, and volume. When I think "high school geometry" what springs into my mind is Euclidean geometry and proof; I associate perimeter, area, and volume with middle school math.