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Importance of teaching maths
Importance of teaching maths
Importance of mathematics for students
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Mention the word math and a considerable number of people are sure to express their aversion to the subject. To illustrate: Raytheon Corporation surveyed approximately 1,000 adulterants whether they would prefer to eat broccoli or to work on a problem in mathematics. The preponderance of the students picked broccoli. The terror of math encompasses into later life. According to research by the non-profit institute Change the Equation in 2010, nearly one-third of Americans would rather clean an unsanitary bathrooms than do a mathematics assignment. (Paul, 2013). However for many individuals, this isn’t a simple matter of disliking math. In schools today, there are currently 2.4 million students diagnosed with a learning disability. Learning disabilities are capricious disorders that affect one’s ability to “speak, listen, think, read, write, spell, or compute”, and thus have a negative impact on learning (Kaye, 2010). Math learning difficulties can range from mild to severe and, contrary to popular belief, are just as inescapable as reading problems; yet students with math deficits often do not receive the attention and concern they need to achieve success. The effects of repeated math failures through school years, combined with math illiteracy in adult life, can have detrimental effects for both diurnal living and occupational projections (Garnett, 1998). With the increasingly advanced world, mathematical knowledge—critical thinking abilities, deductive logic, reasoning abilities, and problem-solving skills—is no longer optional. Math is critical for success, and as an educator, it is critical to know how to recognize and understand various math learning disabilities as well as what strategies can be implemented in ... ... middle of paper ... ...Montague, M., Enders, C., & Dietz, S. (2011). Effects of cognitive strategy instruction on math problem solving of middle school students with learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 34(4), 262-272. Murphy Paul, A. (2013, June 11). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://anniemurphypaul.com/2013/06/why-do-so-many-of-us-hate-math/ Obudo, F. (2008). Teaching mathematics to students with learning disabilities: a literature review. (Master's thesis)Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED500500.pdf Wadlington, E., & Wadlington, P. L. (2008). Helping students with mathematical disabilities to succeed. Preventing School Failure, 53(1), 2-7. Osmon, D.C., Smerz, J.M., Braun, M.M., & Plambeck, E. (2006). Processing abilities associated with math skills in adult learning disability. Journal of Clinical & Experimental Neuropsychology, 28(1), 84-95.
Whenever learning about this project for SMED 310, I wanted to pick out a learner who I knew had a low self-concept and low self-efficacy in their mathematics ability. After thinking back over the years, I remembered a friend I had in high school who had struggled with their math courses. Matthew Embry, a freshman at Western Kentucky University, is looking to major in Sports Management. Whenever I was a senior in high school, we played on the same sports team. Throughout my senior year, I helped him with his Algebra 1 class. When I would help him after a practice, I could tell he struggled with the material. As a mathematics major, I have taken numerous math courses. By teaching him a lesson dealing with football, Matthew was able
Tom Smith, Edward Polloway, James Patton, and Carol Dowdy state, a 2008 report shows that 8.96% of the school-age population… have disabilities and of that number, 3.89% or almost half, were identified as learning disabled (2012, p. 160). Learning disabilities has always been a tough diagnosis due to accounting for a lot of factors like behavior, no proper teaching, culture and language, health issues, and other disability affecting learning. Not only that but there are different subject areas of learning disability in math, reading, and writing.
Barr, C., Doyle, M., Clifford, J., De Leo,T., Dubeau, C. (2003). "There is More to Math: A Framework for Learning and Math Instruction” Waterloo Catholic District School Board
Warger, C. (2002). Helping students with disabilities participate in standards- based mathematics curriculum. ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, Council for Exceptional Children. 1-5. Retrieved October 3, 2004, from ERIC Digests full-text database.
Reys, R., Lindquist, M., Lambdin, D., Smith, N., & Suydam, M. (2001). Helping children learn mathematics. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
gApproximately 5.9 % of students are identified with a math disability, a number similar to those with a reading disability (Fuchs, Fuchs, Powell, Seethaler, Cirino, & Fletcher, 2008)h (Rothman, R., & Lavin, C. (n.d.). The Impact of Dyslexia on Mathematics. Retrieved October 16, 2014, from http://www.interdys.org/DC_Impact_of_Dyslexia_on_Math.htm). Difficulties in directionality, rote memorization, reading, and sequencing can make the following math tasks troublesome; addition and subtraction facts may be difficult to grasp, memorizing multiplication tables may be difficult, the sequencing of steps in long division may be difficult to remember, word problems are often difficult because it involves words, numbers and organization, copying an answer form one place to another may be an issue, when asked to show their work, students aren 't able to, and doing math problems quickly is often difficult. (What is Dyslexia? (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2014, from
In modern society, we are faced with an increased demand for college graduates with a variety of skills. In order to meet the demands of an ever changing job market, we must be skilled in subjects such as math, reading and science. One subject that needs to be addressed is math. We use arithmetic to calculate numbers, exchange money and understand math concepts. That is why it is imperative that educators reach out to students with Dyscalculia with strategies, such as explicit instruction to help students overcome their problems in math. I will examine dyscalculia, its effect on the individual’s education and interventional approaches used to mitigate its effects.
Sherley, B., Clark, M. & Higgins, J. (2008) School readiness: what do teachers expect of children in mathematics on school entry?, in Goos, M., Brown, R. & Makar, K. (eds.) Mathematics education research: navigating: proceedings of the 31st annual conference of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australia, Brisbane, Qld: MERGA INC., pp.461-465.
Silver, E. A. (1998). Improving Mathematics in Middle School: Lessons from TIMSS and Related Research, US Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328.
(Rea, MClaughlin, & Walther-Thomas, 2002) Rosas, C, & Campell, L. (2010). Who's teaching math to our most needy students? a descriptive study. Teacher Education and Special Education, 33(2), Retrieved from ERIC
Helen Keller was once quoted as saying “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” This is the problem that students with special needs face everyday as they encounter many challenges. Math has typically been one of the more difficult areas for a student with special needs to master. Often one of the main problems associated with a disability has to do with math, such is the case for a child with a Learning Disability who will have imperfect abilities in many areas, including math. So what hope does a child with special needs have? Are these students unable to learn math and thus should be put in different classes as to not get in the way of progress of the main stream students? I would like to respond to these statements with a resounding no; there is not only hope for these children, but a bright future ahead of them. Even though students with special needs can struggle with math and other academics, students can have success in a balanced mathematics curriculum given the right opportunities, such as doing hands on activities, assigning an appropriate number of problems, making things relevant to them, and many more effective strategies.
As common as learning disabilities may be, not every child in America is affected, however, the number may be larger than one thinks. In 2001, over 2.9 million children were diagnosed with a learning disability. The number is not accurate since some definitions of a learning disability are different than others. (NCLD 2001) Some of the most common are dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. Typically one who suffers from a learning disability has difficulty in writing, reading, speaking, listening, and mathematics (NCLD 2001). They may also have short-term memory loss and will frequently let their emotions overpower their reasoning. They may have a hard time paying attention in class and find ways to avoid work, especially when they find the material too difficult. (Silverman) They are disorganized in bo...
Kirova, A., & Bhargava, A. (2002). Learning to guide preschool children's mathematical understanding: A teacher's professional growth. 4 (1), Retrieved from http://ecrp.uiuc.edu/v4n1/kirova.html
...S. and Stepelman, J. (2010). Teaching Secondary Mathematics: Techniques and Enrichment Units. 8th Ed. Merrill Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Mercer, C.D., Mercer, A.R, & Pulen, P.C. (2011). Teaching students with learning problems. New Jersey: Pearson. Page 4.