1) Brianna is a 9-year old 3rd grade student who is struggling with mathematics and has been diagnosed with learning disabilities related to number sense, basic math skills, and working memory. 2) To help Brianna, a multi-pronged approach is proposed using Peer Assisted Learning Strategies paired with the Dream Box online math program and Concrete-Representational-Abstract instructional techniques. 3) Research has shown these strategies to be effective individually for improving math performance in students with learning disabilities. Together, they are expected to help Brianna succeed in mathematics.

1. Learning Disabilities and
Mathematics- Case 17
Emtinan Alqurashi
Elif Gokbel
Kimberly Sumpter
Tasnem Alarbi
GPSY 662 Learning Disabilities
Summer 2015

2. Background
● Name: Brianna (Female)
● Age: 9 years-old
● Grade: 3
● Was born full term
● Resides with both parents and her older sister
● No history of learning disabilities in the family
● “Happy, loving, and caring child who enjoys music
and sports”, her mother reports

3. Educational History
● Attended pre-kindergarten, was absent for
26 days
● In kindergarten, she was reported as not
mastering early benchmark skills in
mathematics
● Received numerous interventions for
language arts and mathematics in first grade

4. Disabilities (teacher’s observation)
Brianne
- has extremely weak number sense
- has difficulty reading “hundreds chart”
- often transposes numbers
- struggles to count forward and backward from points on
number line
- is lacking many basic numeric concepts and number
identification skills
- has not met most third grade benchmark standards in
math but in fact her skills were on a first grade level

5. Disabilities (test results)
- Perceptual reasoning
- Number sense
- knowledge of basic number relationship
- two-digit computation problems
- single-digit multiplication or division
- multiple-choice tasks
- spatial working memory tasks

6. Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS)
Overview:
● pairing students based on needs & abilities
● monitoring performance & correct use of PALS, providing
specific, regular & constructive feedback & praise
● changing pairs regularly
● teaching PALS rules:
1) Be nice & helpful
2) Only talk about PALS & Math
3) Use your soft PALS voice

7. Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (cont.)
PALS Coach & Player Activity:
- students use game boards (kindergarten & 1st grade) or
worksheets (grades 2-6)
- coach uses a sheet containing questions that guide the player
- coaching lasts 15-20 minutes
- student uses mixed-problem practice worksheet that include
the problem type student just worked on & easier types of
problems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeAjkTbyZyk
- students do independent 5-10 minutes practice
- students exchange & score the practice sheets

8. Assistive Technology: Dream Box Learning
● Supplemental online mathematics program
● adaptive instruction for students in grades K–5
● focuses on number and operations, place value, and
number sense
● individualized instruction
(Tier I, II, and III)
● a range of instructional settings
● NCTM&common core standards

9. Program Details
● more than 720 online lessons
● playing math games and solving puzzles using
DreamBox Learning’s virtual manipulatives
● Reporting tools for monitoring
student progress

10. Research: The effectiveness of Dream Box
● 11 studies that investigated the effects of DreamBox Learning
on the math performance of elementary school students
● Wang and Woodworth’s (2011) study:
o 557 kindergarten and first grade students
o intervention vs. comparison group
o significant positive effect on mathematics achievement

11. An example Multiplication area model
http://www.dreambox.com

12. Concrete-Representational-Abstract
● “Ensure students develop a tangible understanding
of math concepts/skills they learned
● Hands-on materials (concrete)
● Pictorial representation (representational)
● Mathematical problems with numbers and symbols
(abstract)
o Important: Make sure you run through each stage
https://youtu.be/4Go-jM9fDLg?t=25s

13. Strategies/Programs
● Model
● Use manipulatives
● Use pictures
● Use number lines
● Games
● Camelot Learning
Program
http://www.camelotlearning.com/

14. Materials
● number line
● dice
● calculators
● unifix cubes
● beads
● string
● tangrams
● geared clocks

15. Conclusion
Peer Assisted Learning
+
Assistive Technology
+
Concrete-Representational- Abstract
=
Success for Brianna in math!

16. References
Wang, H., & Woodworth, K. (2011). Evaluation of Rocketship Education’s use of DreamBox Learning’s online
mathematics program. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International. Retrieved from
http://www.rogersfoundation.org/system/resources/0000/0013/Rocketship_SRI_Study.pdf
Powell, S., & Seethaler, P. (2011). Intervention Name: Concrete-Representational-Abstract. Retrieved June 24, 2015,
from http://ebi.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/EBI-Brief-Template-Concrete-Representational-
Abstract.pdf
Concrete and Abstract Representations (Using Mathematical Tools). (2008, November 24). Retrieved June 24, 2015,
from https://mathteachingstrategies.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/concrete-and-abstract-representations-using-
mathematical-tools/
http://www.blueprintsprograms.com/evaluationAbstracts.php?pid=83a002e8ffbe10a8e5bfd289b565b247092a9b70