Teaching Strategies for Children with Dyscalculia

Finally this is the last of my post for this week about dyscalculia. At end of it all, the main goal of everyone surrounding a child with dyscalculia is to help this child reach his or her utmost potential and so I dedicate this last post on what I learned about how to help a child with dyscalculia.

A. Techniques in Helping a Child with Dyscalculia

1. Thinking out Loud
2. Let them work their own way out
3. Assure them that its alright to forget or not understand
4. Let the child check their own work (review and evaluate their work)

B. Important Elements of a Teaching Program

1. Consider the Pupil’s Needs
Pupils may have varying abilities and levels of achievement. Teaching should provide the structure and organization that their learning difficulty denies them and enable the full spectrum of learning styles to function

2. The structure of the Course
A structure based on a spiral with a small pitch allows regular revisits to the same topics. This provides opportunities for the ever-essential over-learning (and acknowledges the difficulty in achieving master of some topics).

3. Classroom Management: Making the Lessons Suit the Pupils
The short attention spans and memory deficits of dyslexic pupils require that a lesson should be divided into short subsections alternating exposition, demonstration, practical work, discussion, practice, and so on.

4. Evolving Expectations and Emphases
The initial aim of restoring students’ belief in their ability to succeed in mathematics is best met by building with what they know because they often know much more than they realize and their knowledge just needs rationalization and organization.

Sources:

Chinn, S & Ashcroft, R. (2007) Mathematics for Dyslexics (Including Dyscalculia).
West Sussex, England. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Hannell, G. (2005) Dyscalculia (Action Plans for Successful Learning in
Mathematics). London.

Testing and Diagnosis of Dyscalculia

Chinn & Ashcroft in their book Mathematics for Dyslexics (Including Dyscalculia) listed the reasons why testing and diagnosis for Dyscalculia maybe necessary:



1. Parents may wish to know how their child’s achievements compare with those of his peers.
A teacher may wish to monitor the progress of his or her group, identify those who need extra help, or collect data with which to stream groups
2. There may be a need to measure rates of progress of an individual or a group
3. There may be some mandatory requirement to test
4. The test may be used to assess the ability of the child to progress
5. The test may be used to obtain information for identifying and providing for a pupil’s special needs
6. The test may be used to award a certificate that records a level of achievement (for example, GCSE or a Key stage)
7. It may be used for diagnostic reasons (for example, to find the child’s strengths, weakness, knowledge base and learning style)


Currently, there is one available Dyscalculia Screener from UK called the Brian Butterworth Dyscalculia Screening test. This dyscalculia Screener is a unique, computer-based assessment that indicates dyscalculic tendencies by measuring pupils' response times as well as the accuracy of their answers.

Author: Brian Butterworth

Level: This assessment has been standardised with ages 6 to 14 and, as such, will provide most accurate evidence within that age range. However, its focus is primarily on the profile of scores and so it may also prove useful as an initial exploratory assessment of low-attaining students at older ages.

B. Structure of the Diagnostic Pool

The test structure includes the following components:
a. a norm-based test
b. counting/adding on tasks and number bonds
c. times-table facts
d. place-value tasks
e. mathematics language
f. the four operations
g. money
h. word problems
i. attitude/anxiety/attribution
j. a thinking style test

Sources:

Chinn, S & Ashcroft, R. (2007) Mathematics for Dyslexics (Including Dyscalculia).
West Sussex, England. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dyscalculia Screener. Retrieved from http://www.gl-assessment.co.uk/education/resources/dyscalculia_screener/dyscalculia_screener.asp

Hannell, G. (2005) Dyscalculia (Action Plans for Successful Learning in
Mathematics). London.

Generalizations regarding the relationship of the learner with dyscalculia, the Math subject and the Math teacher

While reading Chinn and Aschroft's book on Mathematics for Dyslexics (Including Dyscalculia), I remembered Steve Chinn discussing the dynamics of the child, the teacher and the parent/s or guardian of the child during the first Pan-Asian Learning Difficulties Conference here in the Philippines. He said that to fully help the child, the relationship of these these people should look like that of a pyramid with the learner's needs placed on the top of the pyramid. From what I understand from that analogy, the learner is still the topmost priority among the three. And the teacher and the parents are the foundation. Still, the pyramid is stable because of the presence of the three keypoint players. Without one player, the pyramid will fall.

From that point of view I was inspired to make my own interpretation of the relationship I see happening in the child with dyscalculia, mathematics as a subject and the Math teacher. I created an advanced Venn Diagram to show that there are intertwinings between and among these three aspects. And that this complex relationship answered the conundrum of difficulties that can and should be addressed for the child with dyscalculia to have the best learning environment.

Source:

Chinn, S & Ashcroft, R. (2007) Mathematics for Dyslexics (Including Dyscalculia).
West Sussex, England. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dyscalculia in the Philippines (In A Nutshell)

What is Dyscalculia?

- It is sometimes referred to as developmental dyscalculia
- It is distinct from a difficulty that has been acquired through accident, illness, poor teaching and other adverse circumstances
- Literally means disorder in calculation - condition that affects the ability to acquire arithmetical skills (Department of Education and Skills (London)

What causes Dyscalculia?

- Strong genetic influence on the development of mathematical skills
- environmental factors
- biological influences (50% if the siblings of a pupil with dyscalculia can be expected to have it as well Shalev and Gross-Tur 2001)
- Parents and siblings of a pupil with dyscalculia are then times more likely to have dyscalculia than members of the general population

How to identify Students with Dyscalculia?

List of Warning Signs
1. Slowness
2. Reliance on Tangible Counting
3. Difficulties with the Language of Mathematics
4. Difficulties with memory for Mathematics
5. Difficulties with sequences
6. Difficulties with position and spatial organisation
7. Reliance on imitation and rote learning instead of understanding

Common symptoms of dyscalculia
In the July 2009 article of Dr. Francis Dimalanta in Manila Bulletin, he enumerated the common symptoms of dyscalculia.

• Normal or accelerated language acquisition: verbal, reading, writing Poetic ability. Good visual memory for the printed word. Good in the areas of science (until a level requiring higher math skills is reached), geometry (figures with logic not formulas), and creative arts.

• Difficulty with the abstract concepts of time and direction. Inability to recall schedules, and sequences of past or future events. Unable to keep track of time. May be chronically late.

• Inconsistent results in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Poor mental math ability. Poor with money and credit. Cannot do financial planning or budgeting. Checkbooks not balanced. Short term, not long term financial thinking. Fails to see big financial picture. May have fear of money and cash transactions. May be unable to mentally figure change due back, the amounts to pay for tips, taxes, etc.

• When writing, reading and recalling numbers, these common mistakes are made: number additions, substitutions, transpositions, omissions, and reversals.

• Inability to grasp and remember math concepts, rules, formulas, sequence (order of operations), and basic addition, subtraction, multiplication and division facts. Poor long term memory (retention & retrieval) of concept mastery- may be able to perform math operations one day, but draw a blank the next. May be able to do book work but fails all tests and quizzes.

• May be unable to comprehend or “picture” mechanical processes. Lack “big picture or whole picture” thinking. Poor ability to “visualize or picture” the location of the numbers on the face of a clock, the geographical locations of states, countries, oceans, streets and the like.

• Poor memory for the “layout” of things. Gets lost or disoriented easily. May have a poor sense of direction, lo May have difficulty grasping concepts of formal music education. Difficulty sight-reading music or learning fingering to play an instrument.

• May have poor athletic coordination, difficulty keeping up with rapidly changing physical directions like in aerobic, dance, and exercise classes. Difficulty remembering dance step sequences, rules for playing sports.

• Difficulty keeping score during games, or difficulty remembering how to keep score in games, like bowling, etc. Often looses track of whose turn it is during games, like cards and board games. Limited strategic planning ability for games like chess.”







Sources:
Chinn, S & Ashcroft, R. (2007) Mathematics for Dyslexics (Including Dyscalculia).
West Sussex, England. John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Dimalanta, F. X. (2009). Understanding Dyscalculia. Retrieved from
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/211578/understanding-dyscalculia

Hannell, G. (2005) Dyscalculia (Action Plans for Successful Learning in
Mathematics). London.





Google Images for the pictures

Learning Disabilities: A Brief Background

These series of posts is for my Masters class on Strategies for Teaching Mathematics to Elementary students. Although I am generally interested with the umbrella condition of Learning Disabilities, for this post I would be focusing more on Dyscalculia because it is the learning disability that focuses on difficulties in Math.

I. Brief Background on Learning Disabilities

According to http://learningdisabilities.about.com, "Learning disabilities are neurological differences in processing information that severely limit a person's ability to learn in a specific skill area. Everyone has differences in learning abilities, but people with learning disabilities have severe problems that persist throughout their lives. Learning disabled people may have difficulty in school or on the job. These disabilities may also impact independent living and social relationships.

Different Types of Learning Disabilities

The types of Learning Disabilities listed here are the ones I found from http://learningdisabilities.about.com, www.medicalnewstoday.com and Manila Bulletin.

1. Learning Disabilities in Reading, Dyslexia
IDEA defines two main types of learning disabilities in reading.
a. Learning disabilities in basic reading skills involve the foundational skills required to understand the relationship between letters, sounds, and the words they represent.
b. Reading comprehension disabilities involve complex thinking skills such as understanding words, phrases and larger meanings of passages.

2. Dysgraphia and Learning Disabilities in Writing
Learning disabilities in basic writing skills include neurologically-based difficulty with producing written words and letters. Expressive writing disabilities may involve comprehending and organizing written thoughts on paper.


3. Learning Disabilities in Math, Dyscalculia
In the article "Stimulating Math Skills by Massie Santos Ballon she described
dyscalculia as a condition that can affect the ability to calculate, visualize or otherwise use numbers when speaking or writing.

In 2005, Ms. Queenee Lee Chua wrote an article under Philippine Inquirer Education entitled "Why is Math so Difficult?" and she said that experts believe that 5 to 8 percent of US schoolchildren may have dyscalculia. However, there are no Philippine figures for the past decade. At that time, Ms. Chua has handled 20 children whom she suspected to have some form of math learning disability but she insists that this is still a small fraction of children she has diagnosed. Ms. Chua reiterates that most students do not have any disability. They may either have attention-deficit, math-phobia or just plain unmotivated.

According to the British Dyslexia Association, somewhere between 3 to 6% of the population is affected by dyscalculia only.

4. Learning Disabilities in Language, Communication

There are several types of learning disabilities in language. Students with language based learning disabilities may have difficulty with understanding or producing spoken language, or both. Receptive language disorder is a type of learning disability affecting the ability to understand spoken, and sometimes written, language.

Dysphasia is an impairment of language ability. This class of language disorder ranges from having difficulty remembering words to being completely unable to speak, read, or write.

5. Learning Disabilities in Motor Skills, Dyspraxia
Commonly known as the motor learning disability, A person with dyspraxia has problems with movement and coordination. It is also known as "motor learning disability". Somebody with dyspraxia finds it hard to carry out smooth and coordinated movements. Dyspraxia often comes with language problems, and sometimes a degree of difficulty with perception and thought. Dyspraxia does not affect a person's intelligence, but it can cause learning difficulties, especially for children.


6. Behavior Disorders with Learning Disabilities
Children with learning disabilities sometimes have behavioral problems. In some cases, problems with behavior may involve medical conditions such as attention deficit disorders. In other cases, behaviors may result from frustration with learning or learned because of environmental factors at school, home, or both.


Sources:
Ballon, M.S. (2010) Stimulating Math Skills. Retrieved from
http://services.inquirer.net/mobile/10/11/06/html_output/xmlhtml/20101105-%20301617-xml.html

De Mesa, T. (2009) Don’t give up on your child with LD. Retrieved from
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/228514/don-t-give-your-child-with-ld

Lee-Chua, Q. (2005). Why is Math So Difficult. Retrieved from
http://www.inquirer.net/specialreports/education/view.php?db=0&article=20050312-30262

Learning Disabilities. Retrieved from
http://learningdisabilities.about.com/od/learningdisabilitybasics/u/TypesofLearningDisabilities.htm

Questions and Answers about Dyscalculia. Retrieved from
http://www.learninginfo.org/dyscalculia.htm

What is Dyspraxia. Retrieved from
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151951.php

Opening Event for SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES, INC. (SPELD PH)

SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES, INC. (SPELD PH)invites everyone to its Opening event: “CREATING AWARENESS ON SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES: ISSUES, CONCERNS, AND CHALLENGES”.



This event will be on July 30, 2011 from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Registration for the opening event of SPELD PH starts at 1:00 pm in the Kaban ng Hiyas Convention Hall, Mandaluyong City Hall. The seminar fee for the SPELD PH Opening event is only Php 200.00.

For this event the Guest Speakers are Dr. Mirla R. Olores the Chief of the Special Education Division from the Department of Education. Dr. Mirla R. Olores was also one of the speakers for a another conference entitled Becoming "Effective Parents of Children with Disabilities” to talk about the roles of professionals in the development of children with disabilities held last May 27, 2011 at the People’s Hall, Quezon City Memorial Circle, Quezon City for the College of Social Work and Community Development.


Mr. Ivan G. Tapawan is the Senior Psychologist of UP-PGH. According to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of the UP-PGH, " The psychologists, as part of the rehabilitation team, helps determine the psychological and social barriers that may hinder the attainment of the maximum level of functioning of an individual in the services provided by the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. With the noted barriers, psychological assistance and management for the patient as well as for the family are provided to better help the patient adjust and cope with the condition this then would facilitate the patient to reintegrate into the society with optimal sufficiency and functional performance."

The opening event of SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES, INC. (SPELD PH) aims to provide the participants opportunities to identify specific learning difficulties; to recognize the signs, symptoms, types, and testing of learning difficulties; to determine the other disorders that make learning difficult; to describe school problems associated with specific learning difficulties; and to present help for children and adults with specific learning difficulties.

For the SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATION OF THE PHILIPPINES, INC. (SPELD PH)they believe that "Everything begins with the understanding. Help us begin, contact us now."

For other contact details of SPELD PH, you can find them at
Address: Unit 28, 2nd Floor, Bldg.C Gomega I Condominium, P. Martinez, Mandaluyong City 1550
Telephone Nos. : (632) 584-5056/ (63) 9238324359
Email: speld_ph@hotmail.com
facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/SpecialEducationPhilippines/132563736786068#!/pages/Specific-Learning-Difficulties-Association-of-the-Philippines

Captain America is my Super Soldier Hero

Here are the C.A.P.T.A.I.N reasons why I consider Captain America as my Super Soldier Hero. This post also also highlights my favorite moments of Captain America.

1. Created a superhero - not!
Many kids think their either too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short. Steve Rogers is sending a message that what really matters most is what you think about yourself. Steve Rogers wanted to be a hero for his country even with his frail health and body. And who would have thought that out of this desire one of the greatest American Hero will be created.

The value we can learn from this is DETERMINATION.

BEFORE

AFTER

2. Avenger - the first one
For Captain America to be "The Captain America" did not come cheap for the US government. When the US government realized this, they treated Captain America as a celebrity instead of a Super Soldier primarily to inspire the American troops. The US government was at first scared to lose their super soldier in battle. But there is no stopping this Super Soldier in realizing his full potential as a hero. The Super soldier idol is not just a pretty face because he can actually do what he promises to do. The child in us likes to believe in promises and Captain America kept his promise to protect its nation and people and he is still fullfilling his promises until now.

The value we can learn from this is INTEGRITY.

3. People's Ice Solid Champion
Literally and figuratively, Captain America still wanted to be the people's champion even after being frozen solid for over 60 years. He gets back on his feet and continues to be a hero.

The value we can learn from this is MOTIVATION.

4. Timely Comics' most popular character during the wartime period
Let's talk a little bit of history about Captain America. Captain America was created to inspire people especially the soldiers during World War II. Going back to the present time, war has taken many forms since the World Wars where Captain America was intentionally created and yet until now we still need a hero. But we need not just a hero for America but a hero for mankind. Since in the end, Americans, Filipinos, Chinese or whatever nationality you are it is undeniable we are all humans first.

The value we can learn from this is HUMANITY.

7. All American Hero
Captain America is an all American hero. One of the historical and memorable scenes in the Captain America Comics series is when Captain America punched Adolf Hitler. This issue was released at the peak of World War II during the time Pearl Harbor was bombed. As a result, nearly 1 million copies were sold as if to show the sentiment of Americans of what they felt about the infamous Nazi leader. And so I can say that Captain America is part of the American History because as the series progressed so did it tell the story of Captain America's fight against "the Nazis, Japanese, and other threats to wartime America and the Allies".

The value we can learn from this is RESILIENCE.

8. Indestructible Shield
Just like its owner, Captain America's shield had faced several nemesis and was even destroyed at least twice at different times. The vibranium-iron protector of our Super Soldier Hero has changed shape (from triangular to a circular disc); has been retrieved from the past and restored by Zemo and to this day has still protected the American hero from its foes.


The value we can learn from this is DEPENDABILITY.

9. Noteworthy partners in heroism - The Young Allies (aka The Sentinels of Liberty )
Captain America does not just have any other sidekicks. Our Super Soldier has The Young Allies which started as the Sentinels of Liberty. The Young Allies is composed of teenager kids coming from different races which tells us that even the Captain needs friends in his quest to save the world

The value we can learn from this is COOPERATION.

Hence that sums up my CAPTAIN reasons why my child and I would love to watch the ultimate super soldier hero - Captain America.


For more promos and updates Like them on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/captamericaph and visit http://www.theavengersassembled.com”.