Accommodations
- Offer extra time for solving math problems or for a quizzes and tests
- Offer individual tutoring for students
- Allow the use of calculators
- Get to know the learning styles of students with dyscalculia
- Encourage students to visualize problems by reading problems out loud or by doing hands-on calculation with models or tool kits
- Encourage students’ distinctive solutions to a math problem
- Provide real-life examples relating to math concepts or problems
- Provide neat and clean worksheets and graph paper
- Use flashcards or mnemonics, acronyms, rhythms, music, or some other means that may help students process math problems
- Respect students with dyscalculia. Encourage them, and be patient. Do not scold or pity them.
Differentiation Strategies
There are many different strategies that can be used when teaching students with dyscalculia. The essence of most of these strategies is to try to avoid confusing students. Three main categories of strategies are: visual and verbal strategies, sequence strategies, and mnemonic strategies.
These categories are based on the fact that students have different learning styles. According to Felder and Henriques (1995), there are different dimensions of learning styles: sensing and intuitive, visual and verbal, and sequential and global. For students who struggle with math, it may be overwhelming for them to think abstractly with numbers, and numbers may seem to be meaningless to them. In this sense, using visual or verbal strategies according to their learning styles makes more sense to them. Also, mnemonic strategies are important for students with dyscalculia, since they oftentimes have poor long-term memory.
These categories are based on the fact that students have different learning styles. According to Felder and Henriques (1995), there are different dimensions of learning styles: sensing and intuitive, visual and verbal, and sequential and global. For students who struggle with math, it may be overwhelming for them to think abstractly with numbers, and numbers may seem to be meaningless to them. In this sense, using visual or verbal strategies according to their learning styles makes more sense to them. Also, mnemonic strategies are important for students with dyscalculia, since they oftentimes have poor long-term memory.
Helpful Links
http://www.ehow.com/way_5459612_teaching-techniques-dyscalculia.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/227330-how-to-help-children-with-dyscalculia/
These two links connect you to two short articles about teaching techniques to use for students with dyscalculia.
http://low-numeracy.ning.com/
This website is about a project on developing number sense. There is a digit game which can be used for students with dyscalculia.
http://www.dyscalculiaforum.com/news.php
This is a very good forum that aims to make more people aware of dyscalculia. Though its news section has not been updated since 2011, it contains a lot of useful information, news articles, and videos about dyscalculia. The forum is up-to-date. You need to create an account to log on. The “Education” section is especially useful for teachers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=66IHAHr3KBM
Here is a video that shows you how to visualize math in order to help students with dyscalculia by using hands-on materials.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Dyscalculia-Toolkit-Supporting-Difficulties/dp/1412947650
This is a dyscalculia toolkit book (ISBN: 9781412947657) written by Ronit Bird. There are over one hundred activities and games suitable for students around age 7-14. There are teaching points, equipment lists, rules and tips, procedures, and electronic files for print for class activities. It’s a good resource for math teacher to help struggling students to improve their comprehension of math.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/227330-how-to-help-children-with-dyscalculia/
These two links connect you to two short articles about teaching techniques to use for students with dyscalculia.
http://low-numeracy.ning.com/
This website is about a project on developing number sense. There is a digit game which can be used for students with dyscalculia.
http://www.dyscalculiaforum.com/news.php
This is a very good forum that aims to make more people aware of dyscalculia. Though its news section has not been updated since 2011, it contains a lot of useful information, news articles, and videos about dyscalculia. The forum is up-to-date. You need to create an account to log on. The “Education” section is especially useful for teachers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=66IHAHr3KBM
Here is a video that shows you how to visualize math in order to help students with dyscalculia by using hands-on materials.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Dyscalculia-Toolkit-Supporting-Difficulties/dp/1412947650
This is a dyscalculia toolkit book (ISBN: 9781412947657) written by Ronit Bird. There are over one hundred activities and games suitable for students around age 7-14. There are teaching points, equipment lists, rules and tips, procedures, and electronic files for print for class activities. It’s a good resource for math teacher to help struggling students to improve their comprehension of math.
Information for this page was taken from the following resources:
http://www.ldinfo.com/dyscalculia.htm
http://www.k12academics.com/disorders-disabilities/dyscalculia/students-dyscalculia
http://www.ehow.com/list_6384026_dyscalculia-classroom-strategies.html
http://www.ldonline.org/article/Using_Mnemonic_Instruction_To_Teach_Math
Felder, R.M., & Henriques, E.R. (1995). Learning and Teaching Styles in Foreign and Second Language Education. Foreign Language Annals, 28(1), 21–31.
http://www.ldinfo.com/dyscalculia.htm
http://www.k12academics.com/disorders-disabilities/dyscalculia/students-dyscalculia
http://www.ehow.com/list_6384026_dyscalculia-classroom-strategies.html
http://www.ldonline.org/article/Using_Mnemonic_Instruction_To_Teach_Math
Felder, R.M., & Henriques, E.R. (1995). Learning and Teaching Styles in Foreign and Second Language Education. Foreign Language Annals, 28(1), 21–31.