VISIONS
On Learning Differences

Vol. 2, No. 1 www.visionsonlearningdifferences.com - Information on Learning Differences Online Winter 2003
 

IN THIS ISSUE

Happy Holidays and New Information

Facing Learning Disabilities in The Adult Years

Teaching Mathematics to Students With Learning Disabilities

Use Of Color In Handwriting and Notetaking for a Student With a Learning Difference

From Failure to Success in College

In Memorium - Ada Belton

Conference Information

Book Reviews

Resources

About the Editor

Sharing Ideas

Permission to Copy from Visions on Learning Differences

Please see other issues

Dedication

 

TEACHING MATHEMATICS TO STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

by Ruth Feigenbaum, Ph.D.

At Bergen Community College, the number of self-disclosed students with learning disabilities has been increasing. If these students are enrolled in a degree program, they must, at a minimum, successfully complete the developmental mathematics requirements. In order to provide for the special needs and learning styles of these students, Bergen Community College offers dedicated sections of basic mathematics and elementary algebra for LD students. The purpose of these special classes is to establish a classroom environment that promotes learning, while focusing on the specific needs and learning styles of each individual student, without compromising the content of the course and the standards of the mathematics department.

For most LD students, it is the learning disability not the subject matter that interferes with the learning process. In order to "level the playing field", instruction in the LD mathematics classes emphasizes techniques that allow students to circumvent their learning disabilities and focus on the learning of mathematics. To accomplish this, individual teaching and learning strategies are developed cooperatively by the instructor and the student, techniques that focus on the student's strengths.

Modes of instruction, emphasizing the proper reading and writing of mathematics, are an integral part of the course. In order to work with mathematical expressions, students must be able to distinguish between the terms and the factors comprising an expression To avoid errors in simplifying expressions, students must develop the ability to write out their work one step at a time. When working with applications, a correct reading of the words of the problem and an accurate mathematical representation of the meaning of the problem are prerequisite to solving the problem.

Many of the teaching and learning strategies developed emphasize the use of color or space. Colored pencils or pens are used to highlight items which might be visually misinterpreted, thereby minimizing copy errors and inaccurate reading. Color is also used to focus a student's attention to a particular area of weakness. The appropriate use of space can be a significant aid to the LD student. Increasing the workspace by using large sheets of paper or the blackboard helps students organize their work. Limiting the problems to one per page avoids distractions. Subdividing a page so that subtasks are separated from the main procedure of the problem permits students to focus on individual tasks.

Many of the problems encountered by the LD student in learning mathematics are similar to those of the general population, only more pronounced. Thus, many of the strategies used in the LD mathematics classes are applicable to all students; they are just good teaching and learning techniques.

If you would like more information on the topic of teaching algebra to LD students, please see the article "Algebra for Students with Learning Disabilities" published in The Mathematics Teacher, April 2000, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

If you would like further to discuss the teaching of mathematics to LD students, feel free to contact Ruth Feigenbaum at rfeigenbaum@bergen.edu or Linda Kass at
lkass@bergen.edu.