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struggling learners in Math vs Learning Disabilities
- 1. Learning Disabilities vs.Mathematics Cody Reese SPE-339 Dr. Das
- 2. What’s on theAgenda! • Identify what a learning disability (LD) is. • Identify the common types of LD’s. • Identify the different difficulties in math. • Examine reasons why students with an LD have difficulties in math. • Explore practices/strategies to teach mathematics to students with LD’s.
- 3. Learning Disability • Isa neurological disorder that significantly limits major life activities compared to most people when performing said activity. (Shaywitz,1998) • Causes delays or difficulties in learning capabilities across one or many educational environments. • Education • Performing math problems or comprehending math concepts • Difficulties in reading, spelling and/or writing
- 4. Why is Mathso Hard for me? Am I born this way? Is it something I did wrong? I don’t understand! Yeah not doing that! I will just ask for help. I don’t remember how to do that! Ugh I give up! y=mx+b…? -x-=+…? I am never going to use this again! • The statements above are often the same comments we hear throughout our math classrooms from students with disabilities. I will just guess! That’s a long word problem! I am a failure!
- 5. Common Types ofLearning Disabilities • Dyscalculia- Math • Counting, number facts, math calculations, mental math, problem solving skills, etc.. • Dyslexia- Reading • Phonemic awareness, phonological processing, word decoding, etc.. • Dysgraphia- Writing • Often seen within students who struggle with the above (Dyslexia and Dyscalculia). • Trouble forming letters, spacing, organizing thoughts on paper, syntax structure and grammar, etc. (Cortiella & Horowitz, 2014)
- 6. Why do Studentswith LD’s Struggle in Math? • General categories that students have difficulties in math. (Cortiella & Horowitz, 2014) • Hereditary- Genetic pass down • Developmental/Learned- improper instruction or reinforced behaviors toward math • Brain Damage/other traumas • Sub categories of learning characteristics: (Witzel & Little, 2016, p. 7) • Cognitive and metacognitive deficits • Processing deficits • Memory and attention difficulties • Math anxiety • Learned helplessness • Passivity • Low level of achievement
- 7. LD struggles inMath (Cont.) • The reasoning our LD students struggle in math does not solely come from clinical labels. • One must allow three components to coexist in order to fully determine the reasoning/ components of their struggles. • Looking specifically at: • What is being taught (Curriculum) • How it is taught (Instruction) • Childs Characteristics as a learner. • If one side of triangle is irregular it could cause another component of the triangle to suffer creating a snowball effect across various learning environments. (Witzel & Little, 2016, p. 6) Curriculum Learner Characteristics Instruction Assessment Effort Memory Attention Scaffolding Explicit Spaced Learning Standards Progression Practice Conceptual Procedures Perseverance Summative Formative
- 8. What works best? •Lets focus our attention to the bottom right quadrant of the triangle: Instruction component. • How can we as teachers be proactive vs reactive when it comes to creating lessons to meet the needs of all of our students? • By implementing the following (Virginia Dept. of Education, 2022). • Explicit instruction • Proper mathematical language • Concrete, Representational and Abstract Connections • Fact and Computational Fluency • Problem Solving Explicit Spaced Learning Scaffolding Instruction Problem Solving Fluency
- 9. Explicit Instruction • Followsthe I do, we do, you do methodology. • First- modeling: with the use of clear instructional expectations and planned examples. • Second- group practice: using previously acquired content to complete multiple questions through teacher lead and independent practice. • Third- supports: • Allows the teacher to gain access to student understanding and retention through high and low level questions. • Provides an opportunity for teacher to provide immediate feedback to students affirming or correcting responses to problems. (Virginia Dept. of Education, 2022)
- 10. • The useof terms specifically related to the concepts and procedures in lesson. • In order to promote understanding: • Consistently use lesson terms correctly • Plan appropriate language prior to lesson • Incorporate language activities during direct instruction • Hold students to high standard when using mathematical language • Creating an environment to foster ones ability to think about the different strategies in order to solve problems. • To build a strong computational fluency: • Offering spaced practice • Provide engaging fluency practice • Utilize explicit instruction to explore different mathematical problems Formal Mathematical Language Fact and Computational Fluency & (Virginia Dept. of Education, 2022)
- 11. Concrete, Representational andAbstract Connections • Fosters the students ability to understand math concepts on a deeper level. • This can be done through: • Concrete- utilizing manipulatives or tangible items. • Representation- drawings or images. • Abstract- the goal or students ability to use symbols, numbers or words to problem solve. (Virginia Dept. of Education, 2022)
- 12. Problem Solving • Mustbe supplemented with previous knowledge or strategies to solve a wide range of mathematical problems. • What can we provide to the students? • A problem solving strategy guide. • Assist students in strengthening their word problem recognition skills and what is needed to solve the problem (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc.). • Followed by the use of consistent mathematical language for students to understand the meaning of each word they come across. (Virginia Dept. of Education, 2022)
- 13. What Else CanI Do? • Bring a positive mental attitude! • Be understanding! • Be patient! • Provide precise, immediate and accurate feedback! • Create a healthy learning environment! • Keep the triangle strong!
- 14. References • Cortiella, C.,& Horowitz, S. H. (2014). The State of Learning Disabilities: Facts Trends and Emerging Issues. (Third edition). New York: National Center for Learning Disabilities • Shaywitz, Dr. S. E. (1998). Current concepts: dyslexia. New England Journal of Medicine , 307. • Virgina Dept. of Education. (2022). Doing what works: Five evidence-based strategies to Specially Design Mathematics Instruction. Training & Technical Assistance Center at Old Dominion University. https://ttac.odu.edu/curriculum-and-instruction/math/doing-what- works-five-evidence-based-strategies-to-specially-design-mathematics-instruction/ • Witzel, B.S. & Little, M.E. (2016). Teaching elementary mathematics to struggling learners. What Works for Special-Needs Learners. The Guilford Press: New York.