Dyscalculia can be described as dyslexia of numbers.
DYSCALCULIC NEEDS
- Well spaced out questions to avoid confusion.
- Take time for one-
to- one instruction. - New material must be reinforced step by step until the pupils can teach it to you.
- More practice examples to ensure reinforcement.
- Test specific skills and don't 'clutter' the problem with other kinds of calculation.
- There may be no logical pattern to mistakes, some may be related to 'visualising' it wrongly)
- Watch for stress -
Slight misunderstandings can cause a great deal of stress. - A chance to re-
do the question shortly after completing it (dyscalculics often 'see' a problem wrongly the first time) - There may be inconsistency in the pattern of mistakes ie. Everything right in a class
lesson, everything wrong in a test, then everything right on a one-
to- one session. - Test for Irlen syndrome.
- In tests -
ensure that large pieces of scrap paper are available - REMEMBER this is a DISABILITY and the pupil is not trying to avoid maths. As the individual gets older the feeling of failure, stress, misunderstanding and helplessness increase dramatically.
Seven years of using the soroban has shown me that it can help! Firstly because it involves all learning styles, it caters for individuals who have lost out in maths lessons by being taught in an 'alien' style. Secondly it gives the concrete experience of numbers which lead to a deeper understanding of quantity and place value.
An example: Two years ago I was asked to help a pupils with 18 months left of his secondary career. He had a very poor knowledge of number and could just about add 2 two digit numbers together. He had no concept of subtraction, multiplication, division or the decimal system. He had severe dyslexia and on testing him, he also had severe dyscalculia. Work began using the soroban and things began to happen; he started to understand arithmetic for the first time. As the weeks went by he conquered larger number addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. After 18 months he was able to take Entry Level Mathematics and had a level 2 result. He told me that for the first time he had started to understand maths. At the end of year awards, he received the school's 'Pupil who has shown most progress' shield.
There are similar examples which I may add at a later date. All of these individuals had been given up as incapable of doing maths.
WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH THE SOROBAN?