In this article, we seek to understand the errors that students make. We offer a number of cautionary notes for creating activities for the acquisition of this mathematical concept. The errors explored in this article come out of research involving students between the ages of 9 years and 12 years, at the moment when they displayed reactions of avoidance, worry or anxiety (DeBlois and Bélanger, 2016, DeBlois, 2014).
One challenge that may arise for students is working with symbolic representations. Students with working memory difficulties continually have to make sense of symbols, and may forget where they are in a procedure. Using manipulatives, graphic organizers, or pictorial representations can reduce this strain on their working memory, as these tools may allow students to draw on their strengths to represent their thinking.
LD@school is having two FREE upcoming webinars in May and June! The dates and information can be found below. Please note that all LD@school webinars are hosted from 3:30 - 4:45 PM EST. Don't miss out on these great, FREE professional learning opportunities!
Watch this video to see how teachers at Sagonaska Demonstration School are using manipulatives to help students at all grade levels improve their mathematical reasoning and problem solving.
Number Talks are short conversations about math problems intended to help students, including those with LDs, consolidate their understanding of concepts.
Like in reading, a disorder in mathematics is not a heterogeneous condition. Some individuals with mathematical LDs may have good conceptual understanding of mathematics but poor calculation ability (e.g., they may answer 2 x 5 = 25 or not be able to borrow). Other students may be great with math calculations but have poor conceptual understanding. Another student may not understand the vocabulary used in a word problem.
Here are a number of principles for working with students who have major difficulties with math.
By Jeffrey MacCormack and Ian Matheson Two trains depart simultaneously from cities 120 kilometres apart. The first train is travelling at 40 kilometres per hour and the second train is traveling at 60 kilometres per hour. How many minutes until they collide? If you have had to answer a word problem like this one, you [...]
This video provides an overview of collaborative teacher inquiry (CI) and how it can be used to facilitate and investigate new ways of supporting students with learning disabilities (LDs) in the area of math. This video features interviews with educators from the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board (PVNCCDSB), including a Special Education Consultant, a Student Achievement Consultant, and a Grade 7/8 Teacher. Each participant discusses the importance of CI and how CI and manipulatives might be used to support the learning of students with LDs in the area of math. We trust that watching the CI process in action will motivate educators in both general education and special education settings.
By Nicole Lauzon Introduction "About 3 to 8% of school-aged children have a math learning disability." Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development, 2011 Arithmetic must be integrated into classroom activities to allow students to acquire useful reflexes, not only at school, but also in their daily lives. It is an important part of mathematics, [...]
