Sarah J' Parsons

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DDIG Conference 27th March 2007
Experiences of Dyslexic and Dyscalculic Students
Learning Mathematics

• Sarah J. Parsons
• Maths Support - Harper Adams
• Part-time Research Student - Loughborough
  University
• sjparsons_at_harper-adams.ac.uk

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Harper Adams University College

• Small, friendly, specialist HE college
• 1700 FTE students approx.
• Aspire CETL - Advancing Skills for Professionals
  in the Rural Economy
• Agriculture subject has 2nd highest levels of
  dyslexia nationally (HESA)
• All students are taught some Maths/Stats

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(No Transcript)
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Sources of Experiences

• Mathematics Support
• Mathematics lecturing First year engineers and
  Access course
• New student screening and questionnaires
• Mathematics Learning Surveys 2005 2006
• Student Interviews
• Dyslexia Support and assessments

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Mathematics Support

• Since 2001
• Offered College wide
• 1-1 and small groups, often weekly
• Support for mathematics, statistics and science
• Many dyslexic engineers supported and successful
• Dyslexic non-engineering students supported for
  general maths and statistics
• Dyscalculic students supported a few

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Harper Dyslexia and Study Skills Support for
Students

• Admissions support
• BDA Dyslexia checklist by all new students
• Psychological needs assessments arranged
• Dyslexic students study skills support
• Examination amanuensis (readers, scribes)
• 14 of students with dyslexia, approx.
• Up to 25 engineers dyslexic, approx.
• Small number of dyscalculic students

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Dyslexic HND Engineer

• It has made it a lot harder to learn. Ive had
  to try harder than some other people.
• In young years at school, 10,11,12 years old
  people just treated you like you were stupid.
• When I was 13/14 it was identified because of
  pressure by my parents. For nearly 6 years my
  mother had been asking and saying I might be
  dyslexic.
• Being identified was important
• The biggest hit on me was making it difficult to
  learn at the start. The confidence boost of
  getting help off the start was like a release
  factor, you were given the
• nourishment to get going and learn.

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Dyslexic BSc Engineer

• The first year maths I would be the first to
  admit that I probably found quite hard, but I put
  my back into it, I came to see yourself a bit, I
  went and saw a few other friends who did find it
  easier
• had I not had Greer and Hancox or the Data
  sheet and had to learn all the equations I would
  have struggled, massively
• I dont class dyslexicness as a weakness, because
  it is something that I apparently had since the
  day dot. Its just like if somebody is born
  blind they dont think that they are at a
  disadvantage because they dont know any
  different.

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Dyslexic BSc Engineer, cont.

• I dont see how you can say it makes a massive
  difference, because it is just something that you
  grow up with. You dont walk down the street one
  day and catch dyslexia. You work around it, but
  thats again as you say thats my attitude or my
  opinion of it and thats probably how I handle
  it.
• You can all relate it back down to your
  upbringing and the way you were taught in the
  past and if you want to start making excuses
  for that. If Ive got something wrong, if I
  cant remember things, then work on it.

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Dyslexic BSc Engineer, cont.

• all exams are memory tests because if your memory
  is not very good it doesnt matter whether you
  can understand it or not, because if you cant
  remember it and you cant remember what each
  thing breaks down intoI mean you have got
  whatever a and v mean in this engineering, in
  vuat, and speed and time And then you go onto
  where all of those things equal different
  relative densities and stuff. So it is still a
  memory thing.
• In maths exams I struggle with maths. In a
  written exam I do actually genuinely think if I
  was to read to an examiner what I have written I
  would get more marks than him reading it,
• because of my handwriting

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Dyslexic BSc Engineer, cont.

• But the bottom line is I dont enjoy it a massive
  amount. Perhaps thats half because I am not
  very good at it, but also I am not the type of
  person that wants to sit inside doing maths for
  the rest of my life, it doesnt interest me that
  much. Ill do maths to get by, and maths to get
  an answer, but I dont want people to, as soon as
  youve solved one problem, for people to come and
  give you another one and never get outside.
• for me to be good at a job, it is imperative
  that I learn as a manager to delegate. So what I
  am basically trying to say is that I will get
  somebody else to do the maths. So like proper
  hard maths because it is not my strength .

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Dyscalculic Students Comments

• Iv hated maths since iv done my GCSE, but found
  it increasingly difficult as im getting older.
• I have always been bullied at school for number
  related problems such as being bottom in yearly
  exams, or not being able to tell the time
  correctly. Strangely this has pushed me to try
  harder at everything, just to prove these people
  wrong.
• Until I was nine I could only count to ten I
  still have to take a lot of time over doing
  anything involving numbers, my GCSE took 5 hours
  extra lessons a week, but I got there!

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Extracts from Psychological Assessments

• Dyslexic and Dyscalculic Student
• shows relative cognitive weaknesses in arithmetic
• shows marked weakness in mathematics considering
  higher general ability
• shows difficulty in organising written work and
  in reading comprehension and also in some basic
  mathematical processes and the more visual
  aspects in mathematics
• Numeracy (Dyslexic student)
• ability is well below that expected for age
  intellectual ability
• finds maths a difficult subject to learn, despite
  having the intelligence and mathematical
  potential to do so
• Difficulties with mathematics are directly
  related to weaker
• processing and short term memory

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Example of Needs Assessment

• Further Information re. successful 1st Year
  student
• Reading text is very difficult and he needs an
  overlay to stop text jumping on the page
• Is severely dyslexic and has many problems with
  spelling etc. but works hard to use spell check.
  However he often makes errors when proof reading.
• Taking additional notes in lectures is a big
  problem
• Numeracy is an issue, so 1-1 weekly numeracy
  sessions were agreed, more if necessary

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Student Questionnaires

• May 2005 243 questionnaires
• May 2006 277 questionnaires
• 1st 2nd year, Degree HND students
• Surveyed all undergraduate engineering
  mathematics general statistics modules
• Engineering, Agriculture, Animal Science,
• Surveyors (RICS), Business, Veterinary Nurse
• Sought to find a student voice

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Survey Questions

• Age, gender, maths qualifications
• Whether dyslexic or dyscalculic
• Whether would choose to study the module?
• Effect of dyslexia or dyscalculia
• Effect of pre-university experiences
• Which aspects helped or hindered learning?
• Confidence and liking of maths statistics

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Factors Affecting 1st Year Statistics Learning

• First year statistics assignment 2005 results
• Success was significantly affected by
• Previous Maths qualification, Award level BSc/HND
  and teaching group
• Attitudes showed trends but not significant
• Success was not significantly affected by
• Dyslexia, Age or Gender

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Factors Affecting 2nd Year Statistics Learning

• Second year Genstat exam success 2005 was
• significantly affected by
• Plt0.001 Confidence and Liking of Statistics
• Plt0.01 Confidence and Liking of Maths,
• Maths GCSE Grade, Maths A Level, Age,
• Whether more confident and Motivation
• not significantly affected by
• Dyslexia, Time spent studying or Inspiration

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Effects of Dyslexia or Dyscalculia - Negative
Responses

• A lot, I find remembering things hard
• Makes me struggle much more and seems to take me
  so much longer and so I get left behind.
• My dyslexia just slows me down and makes
  everything harder
• Slow to work on Excel
• Not always understanding first time
• Lack of ability of picking up the different
  aspects of the module
• It affects one's motivation

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Effects of Dyslexia or Dyscalculia - Reading /
Writing or Few Problems

• Cant read or write as well or fast
• Hinders progress in assignments and other written
  work
• Hard reading exam papers and reading through and
  doing assignments
• I'm borderline with dyscalculia but have not
  found any problem
• Very little
• None that I've noticed, maybe occasional
  transposition of numbers

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General Effects

• Often treated as stupid pre-diagnosis
• Often lower aspirations and self-confidence
• May choose HND route, not BSc, BEng
• Difficulties with memory
• Dyscalculics were often were in lowest maths set,
  with disruptive class behaviour (by others)
• Anxiety, sometimes panic (e.g. in exams)
• Greater parental involvement and anxiety

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Mathematics Difficulties of Dyslexic Students

• Mistakes in copying to next line
• and -, and x, p q, b d confused e.g.
• Digits transposed
• Fractions inverted
• Decimal points omitted or in wrong position
• Parts or whole question or pages omitted in exams
• Difficulty reading questions / tasks / notes /
  writing
• Difficulty remembering, incl. symbols

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Support Strategies to Aid Dyslexic / Dyscalculic
Students

• Provision of printed notes
• Identify repeat key information - wood from
  trees
• Provide formula sheets, early in module
• Encourage learning of symbols
• Work at students pace time to think
• Students do the work
• Try to link with students knowledge / interests
• Support, encouragement, reassurance
• Friendly, lighthearted, interactive

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Conclusions

• There are a spectrum of effects of dyslexia and
  dyscalculia on learning maths and statistics,
  from little effect to makes learning much harder.
  
• Sadly no students report improved learning.
• Two main effects are increased time needed for
  learning and memory problems
• Features helpful to dyslexic and dyscalculic
  students are also helpful to other students
• Many dyslexic and dyscalculic students are
  successful but need to work hard