TakeAways

Topics

• 1. What is Dyscalculia?

  2. Who defines dyscalculia and learning disabilities?

  3. Identifying dyscalculia in the classroom and responses

  4. Weak Math Learners, Strugglers and Stragglers vs. Math Learning Disabled 

  5. Discrepancy Models in LD Diagnosis

  6. Dyscalculia Interventions

  7. RtI / MTSS (Multi-Tier Systems of Support) for Dyscalculia

  8. Special Education

  9. Assistive Educational Technology for Struggling Math Students

  10. Practical Help, Strategies, and Tools for Teachers

  11. Practical Strategies and Tools for Parents

  12. Student Resources

Takeaways

Teachers will leave the training knowing know to spot dyscalculia, how to discern skill gaps caused from education gaps, from poor performance caused by math reasoning, memory, and calculation impairments.  [Workshop Topic #2]

Teachers will have a comprehensive understanding of the factors that result in poor math performance, like limited sequential memory, limited math working memory, directional ambiguity / confusion, inconsistent / imperfect retrieval of quantitative information, impaired ability to visualize, visual-spatial processing impairments, serial counting defects, impaired number sense, impaired conical pattern recognition (dice/ dominoes); and other brain anomalies that result in dyscalculia (prematurity, reduced gray matter and lesions in the IPS). [Topic #1]

Teachers will know what strategies to implement for RtI, how to identify success, what to do if the student does not respond as expected (try another strategy), what to try, and how to measure mastery. [Topics #:  2, 5, 6, 8, 9]

Teachers will know when and how to refer a child for formal testing for dyscalculia (math learning disability) [Topic #2]

Teachers will learn how to reach all children, the poorly performing and the gifted performers, with individualized instruction. [Topics #5-9]

Teachers will learn which tech tools to employ to augment instruction and mitigate other factors that interfere with math performance, like ADHD. dysgraphia (poor handwriting), and dyslexia. [Topic #8]

Teachers will finally obtain a core understanding of the base-ten system up to the quadrillionth place value and will learn to teach kindergartners to young adults to use this understanding to mentally reason and demonstrate addition, subtraction, multiplication and division with small and very large numbers without using arithmetic.  [Topics #9-15]

Teachers will learn to reason easily about sales tax, tips, and discounts. [Topic #9]

Teachers will learn to use numbers as notation for quantitative ideas, an approach that is logical and reasonable.  [Topic #9]

Teachers will learn to teach math intuitively, through logic and reason, an essential strategy for those who cannot remember math facts and procedures.  [Topic #9]

Teachers will learn to introduce the precepts of algebra and to focus on teaching math as a foreign language with explicit instruction in the language of math, its morphology- root words, affixes, interpretation, vocabulary, syntax, context, and grammar necessary for mastering language decoding and encoding (reading and writing).  [Topic #9]

Teachers will learn how to teach basic canonical pattern recognition (like on dice) to expedite organizing tasks involving counting, adding, subtraction, multiplication, division and problem-solving.  [Topic #9]

Teachers will have access to master teaching tools that they can print and use for instructional and student-demonstration purposes (math manipulatives).  [Topic #9]

Teachers will be confident in their ability to try unique approaches in spite of established curriculum schedules and demands to rush through content.   [Topic #9]