Helping Students with Dyscalculia to Succeed
As stated before, dyscalculia varies from student to student. We will work with your child to find the strategies that work best for him/her. The great thing is that methods that work well for students with dyscalculia in the classroom benefit the entire class.
Below you will find two lists. The first list is what you might see in the classroom to help your child succeed and the second is a list of things you can do at home.
Classroom Modifications
Things You Can Do at Home
As stated before, dyscalculia varies from student to student. We will work with your child to find the strategies that work best for him/her. The great thing is that methods that work well for students with dyscalculia in the classroom benefit the entire class.
Below you will find two lists. The first list is what you might see in the classroom to help your child succeed and the second is a list of things you can do at home.
Classroom Modifications
- We will preview math work with the class prior to each lesson (Wadlington & Wadlington, 2008).
- We will not do math at the end of the school day (www.dyscalculia.me.uk).
- Your child will be seated near Ms. Balic or Ms. Holler to enable active engagement during math instruction (Wadlington & Wadlington, 2008).
- We will post math procedures and directions for future reference (Wadlington & Wadlington, 2008).
- Adequate time will be given to do tests, homework, activities, and classroom work. As a teacher, I want to make sure that your child does not feel rushed to finish math work (www.dyscalculia.me.uk).
- Math lessons will begin with concrete objects and will move into pictures and/or diagrams only after multiple direct experiences with the math concept (Wadlington & Wadlington, 2008).
- Your child may want or need voice recordings of directions or explanations so that they can listen to them again later (www.ncld.org).
- The teachers will tie lessons to real world topics that are of interest to the students (Wadlington & Wadlington, 2008).
- Worksheets and printed materials will be sans serif font (i.e., without heads and tails, such as Arial or Tahoma) which is easier for dyscalculic students to read (Wadlington & Wadlington, 2008).
- Assistive Technologies (AT) you may see in the classroom: manipulatives, number lines, teacher-made flow charts, voice recordings, and computer math games (www.ncld.org).
- We will utilize multimodal learning. You will see the class talking about math, writing math, moving physically to illustrate math and using manipulatives (Wadlington & Wadlington, 2008).
Things You Can Do at Home
- Praise the hard work your child is putting into math work.
- When doing homework, work in a room with no distractions; T.V. and radio should be off (www.dyscalculia.me.uk).
- Encourage your child's learning progress versus focusing on the "right" answers. We are more interested in how a child is solving a math problem than a student having the right answer (Wadlington & Wadlington, 2008).
- Practice math in short increments during off periods (spring, summer, and holiday breaks) (www.dyscalculia.me.uk).
- Stay positive regarding math (Wadlington & Wadlington, 2008).
- Here are some great online math games your child can play to train their brain: