Dyscalculia

Apparently only 1% of the world's population has heard of this condition, which is crazy given that 4 - 6% of people suffer from it. So, in an attempt to "spread the word" as the dyscalculiaforum urges us to do (thanks for that link elly, I'll be trying to get that video shown in our study day tomorrow) some info for you:

• the term refers to a wide range of life-long learning disabilities involving maths
• in very fancy word: sufferers experience dysfunction in the reception, comprehension, or production of quantitative and spatial information
• in quite fancy words: sufferers have trouble processing language, with visual-spatial relationships, with remembering facts, and with keeping a sequence of steps in order
• in basic terms: sufferers have difficulty learning the meaning of numbers or "number sense"; counting; understanding relationships between numbers; sorting objects; recognising patterns; understanding abstract concepts like time and direction/orientation; rules for games/strategy; comparing and contrasting; remembering and retaining basic maths facts; estimating; seeing links between concepts; applying their maths skills
• crucially, dyscalculics are usually of average or above average IQ and are often fine with written and oral language, but have specific problems with numbers (although there is a actually a significant proportion of dyscalculics who are also dyslexic).

I'm really glad that Canterbury and TF are putting an emphasis on this for us maths teachers; the more we know about these conditions, the better our teaching will be (at least in theory!)

When Babs came to observe me last half-term, she suspected that S in my Y8 group was dyslexic and maybe dyscalculic too. Having read through the symptoms, I'm inclined to agree with her. I've referred him to our SENCo so hopefully he'll be tested soon. In the meantime though, here are some strategies to help both dyscalculic and EAL pupils (for anyone writing their WA3!):

1. Varied learning/teaching styles - if the child doesn’t learn the way you teach, can you teach the way he learns?
2. One-on-one instruction
3. Memory recall games
4. Keywords - focus on understanding of words
5. Link work to real life examples/using tangible objects/simple games
6. Use of technology - pupils often find topics easier when they are delivered through maths software/websites
7. Increase confidence - help students become aware of their strengths and weaknesses
8. Don’t underestimate
9. Use of specialist staff (not just for teaching, but planning etc. also)
10. Build on prior knowledge
11. Opportunities to practice what has already been learnt - consolidation
12. Oral and written work
13. Understanding SEN and EAL needs are different (and different for each child too)
14. Address errors/misconceptions quickly before they become instilled e.g. through marking the first few questions to check for understanding
15. Writing frames and guidance on how to get answers down on paper
16. Model/demonstrate answers so pupils have something to work towards

Good-oh. So, to check your understanding of numbers and ability to estimate here are some numbers from my day. See if you can match the event with the number....

A) The percentage of the day I've spent in bed (I love Sundays)
B) The ratio of green olives stuffed with goat's cheese (delicious) to tictacs that I've eaten today
C) The number of pence I've topped up my Oyster card with (where does the money go?)
D) The number of calories I burnt off on the treadmill
E) The small fraction of lessons I have managed to plan for this week

1) 2/10
2) 50
3) 279
4) 7:9
5) 2000

Answers tomorrow.

And finally, I am loving both Plan B and Broke 'N' £nglish at the moment. These UK lyricists (and also some of the French ones, who I don't understand totally, but enough to get the gist!) are so heavy compared to the rubbish "gangsta" chat that comes outta the States. Gimme something to think about already.