Math Aids (VDOE Accommodation Code 19) are a response accommodation for instruction and assessments available to students with disabilities based on individual needs and must be related to the student’s disability (VDOE, 2019). While Math Aids are generally concrete materials, the transition to virtual learning environments requires some flexibility in their use. Fortunately, free virtual… Read More Using Math Aids in Virtual Learning Environments
Unpacking Standards to Get to the Heart of Instruction
Spotlight on High-Leverage Practice 12: Systemically Design Instruction Toward a Specific Learning Goal Systemically designing instruction, at its heart, focuses on choosing what to teach, when to teach it, and how to teach (Council for Exceptional Children, 2019). Three critical elements of systemically designing instruction are: Setting clear instructional goals Logical sequencing of knowledge and… Read More Unpacking Standards to Get to the Heart of Instruction
Spotlight on High-Leverage Practice 14: Teaching Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies to Support Learning and Independence in Mathematics
Solving problems in context, also known as word problems or practical problems, is a challenge for students, especially students with disabilities. This is often because solving word problems requires students to read and understand the problem, identify relevant information, choose an appropriate strategy, solve the problem correctly, and ensure that the answer makes sense (Iris… Read More Spotlight on High-Leverage Practice 14: Teaching Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies to Support Learning and Independence in Mathematics
Rekenrek? What the Heck??
The TechKnowledgy Conference in April 2019 introduced many creative technology-based strategies to help students become successful learners. Beth Poss gave a wonderful session, Accessible Mathematics for Early Learners. This session reviewed accessible math manipulatives to help students build a foundation for mathematical thinking. One manipulative resource Beth introduced to the group was the Rekenrek. A Rekenrek is an arithmetic or… Read More Rekenrek? What the Heck??
Math Manipulatives at Your Fingertips
Math manipulatives are tools that can help students of all abilities explore and understand math concepts. As noted by Anstrom (2006), “selecting and accessing the appropriate tools and processes for students with disabilities is critical to their understanding of mathematics” (p.11). Whether concrete or virtual, manipulatives can be supportive tools for learning. Try it at… Read More Math Manipulatives at Your Fingertips
Using Storybooks to Teach Math
Our students who have intellectual disabilities represent a broad range of academic skills. Many such students are emergent readers and mathematicians who are working on pre-school or primary school-level concepts. With this in mind, let’s explore some pertinent research and resources related to math instruction. Existing research indicates that teaching basic math skills in the… Read More Using Storybooks to Teach Math
Using Visual Representations in Math Instruction
Teaching Abstract Concepts to Concrete Thinkers Students with autism are, generally, concrete thinkers, which can make teaching math skills difficult. As math work becomes more abstract, how can educators help these students build problem solving and application skills? Jo Boaler, Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford University, reports that brain evidence supports the use of… Read More Using Visual Representations in Math Instruction
