Week 5

This week I found it really interesting to read about technology and it’s impact on math instruction for students with special needs.  I agree with the article when it talked about how math has become more difficult, especially for students with disabilities, because today there are higher expectations in education, a more complex curriculum, and changes in standards.  I have a student that struggles with math because of languages processing and reading challenges.  He has dyslexia, and his problems with reading transfer over to math.  Recognizing basic math problems becomes a challenge because there are so many different ways for equations and problems to be represented.  It is important that students practice basic skill on a daily basis as much as possible.  Repetition is extremely important and it takes students with special needs a longer time to register things into long term memory.  

It is essential to provide students with manipulatives - something that was use on a daily basis in my classroom.  Using manipulatives provides students with a visual representation of simple math problems.  I disagree with the article when it says that basic facts should not be practices simply by rote.  I think that once students can see visually, using manipulatives, why a basic fact is the way it is - they should then use flashcards to practice, practice, practice! Again, repetition is key for students with special needs. One strategy that our students use for simple addition problems is the use of touch points.  Touch points give points to numbers.  For example, a number 1 would have 1 touch point, and number 2 would have 2 touch points, and so on.

           One thing that I really liked about the article was the examples they were provided.  It is so hard to find math websites sometimes that can be beneficial to student learning. Many of the websites listed I have never heard of. I can’t wait to take a look at them and see how I can use them in the classroom.  It is nice that the table listed explains the math topics that are covered in the website, the types of directions and feedback available, and other information about the site itself.  I think that math needs to be meaningful in order for students to learn.  Of course anyone can learn math if they practice and practice; however, the more meaningful and related to life math can be, the easier it can become to learn.  Furthermore, the potential for math to become a part of everyday life and the future is greater if learning becomes meaningful.  Students need to be able to see the importance of doing math problems, working with money, and other aspects of mathematics.