Maths Difficulties

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• Maths Difficulties
• K. Patterson
• Support Teacher (Learning Difficulties)
• Beginning and Returning Teachers Conference
• July 08

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Aims of the Session

• To read and interpret recent research regarding
  maths difficulties
• To learn about common areas of difficulty in
  maths
• To learn about different methods of identifying
  difficulties and
• To experience strategies from the UK Primary
  National Strategy, for children with mathematical
  difficulties.

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The Bad News about Numeracy Difficulties

• Numeracy difficulties have a greater impact on
• School leaving age
• Employment prospects
• Earning Capacity
• Further training opportunities
• than poor literacy skills
• (Bynner Parsons, 1997 Gleeson, 2005)

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The Good News

• Childrens arithmetical difficulties are highly
  susceptible to intervention
• Individualised work with children who are
  falling behind in their arithmetic has a
  significant impact on their performance. The
  amount of time given to such individualised work
  does not, in many cases, need to be very large to
  be effective
• (Dowker, 2005 see handout)

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Identifying Difficulties

• Diagnostic Tasks
• Numeracy Net Tasks
• Diagnostic Interviews
• Schedule for Early Numeracy Assessment (NSW DET)
• Early Numeracy Interview (Victoria DET)
• Diagnostic Interview (NZ Numeracy Project)
  www.nzmaths.co.nz
• Standardised Tests
• Booker Profile

• Computer Assisted Tools
• Wombat
• Student Profiling Tools, e.g.
• Numeracy Net
• First Steps Map of Development
• UK Primary National Strategy
• Questioning Protocols
• Newman Analysis

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What are the Common Difficulties?

• Counting principles
• Strategic counting
• Word problems
• Concrete Pictorial Abstract transformation
• Place value
• Language of maths
• Arithmetic fact retrieval
• Fractions
• Decimals
• Multiplicative thinking
• Multi-step arithmetic

Dowker, 2005 Siemon, Virgana Cornielle, 2001
Graham, Bellert Pegg, 2007 Pearn, 1999
Dowker, 2001
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Examples of Intervention Programs

• Numeracy Net (WA DET)
• Mathematics Recovery (NSW DET)
• Numeracy Recovery (UK)
• Quicksmart (NSW/NT)
• Great Leaps (USA)
• Primary National Strategy (UK)
• General principles see handout

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Case Study The Primary National Strategy

• A focus on the most commonly occurring types of
  mathematical difficulties
• An individualised approach based on the
  particular areas the child finds difficult
• Relatively small amounts of individualised
  intervention
• (DfES, 2005 Dowker, 2004)

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(No Transcript)
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The Primary National Strategy Wave 3 Materials

• Using the pack
• Addition and subtraction pack
• Multiplication and division pack
• Resources index and games
• CD-ROM

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3. Common errors misconceptions
1. Key objective
5. Examples of teaching activities
6. Where next?
2. Associated knowledge skills
4. Questions to pinpoint difficulties
7. Codes
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(No Transcript)
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Instructional Components

• Look for the following components within the
  chosen teaching unit
• Discussion to support mathematical reasoning
• Opportunities for choices
• Using informal methods of recording
• Evaluating the efficiency of the calculation
  strategies used
• Explicit naming of key vocabulary
• The progression to advanced counting skills
• Estimate, calculate, check
• Range of materials to support thinking

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Explore

• In pairs
• Read through the tracking charts
• Find the highlighted misconception on the
  tracking chart
• Read through the clarifying questions
• How could they be used?
• What other questions might be useful?
• Refer to the code of your chosen
  error/misconception and find the appropriate
  teaching strategies on your desk
• Read/work through the activities listed
• (20mins)

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In Summary

• Small amounts of individual intervention,
  targeted at the point of need
• ? Significant impact on numeracy outcomes
• What can you do?
• Be aware of the most common difficulties
• Give many experiences moving from the concrete
  pictorial - abstract
• Lots of opportunities to practise skills
• Explicit teaching to the point of need
• Use the materials such as the Primary National
  Strategy 3rd Wave Pack to support your
  intervention

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References

• Association of Independent Schools (2008).
  WOMBAT Web based online mathematics baseline
  assessment tools. Retrieved June 24, 2008 from
  http//www.wombat.wa.edu.au/
• Booker, G. (1995). Booker Profiles in
  Mathematics Numeration and Computation.
  Melbourne Australian Council for Educational
  Research (ACER).
• Bynner, J., Parsons, S. (1997). Does Numeracy
  Matter? Evidence from the National Child
  Development Study on the Impact of Poor Numeracy
  on Adult Life. London Basic Skills Agency.
• Department of Education and Early Childhood
  Development (2001). Mathematics Online Interview
  Booklet. Retrieved June 24, 2008 from
  http//www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/
• public/teachlearn/student/mathscontinuum/onlinein
  terviewbklet.pdf.
• Department for Education and Skills (2005).
  Primary National Strategy Supporting children
  with gaps in their mathematical understanding
  (pack). London DfES.
• Department of Education and Training WA (2008).
  Numeracy Net. Retrieved June 24, 2008 from
  http//k10syllabus.det.wa.edu.au/associated/privat
  e/
• nets/Numeracy/index.html
• Dowker, A. (2001). Numeracy Recovery A pilot
  scheme for early intervention with young children
  with numeracy difficulties. Support for
  Learning, 16(1), 6-10.

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• Dowker, A. (2004). What Works for Children with
  Mathematical Difficulties? Nottingham Department
  for Education and Skills.
• Gleeson, L. (2005). Economic Returns to
  Education and Training for Adults with Low
  Numeracy Skills. Adelaide National Council for
  Vocational Education Research.
• Graham, L., Bellert, A., Pegg, J. (2007).
  Supporting students in the middle school years
  with learning difficulties in mathematics
  Research into classroom practice. Australasian
  Journal of Special Education, 31(2), 171-182.
• New South Wales Department of Education and
  Training (2008). Newmans Prompts Finding out
  why students make mistakes. Retrieved June 24,
  2008 from http//www.curriculumsupport.education.n
  sw.gov.au/secondary/mathematics/numeracy/newman/in
  dex.htm
• New South Wales Department of Education and
  Training (no date). SENA Kit. Bankstown, NSW
  NSW Department of Education and Training.
• New Zealand Ministry of Education (2007).
  Numeracy Project Diagnostic interview.
  Retrieved June 24, 2008 from http//www.nzmaths.co
  .nz/
• numeracy/2007numPDFs/NumBk2.pdf
• Pearn, C. (1999). The importance of efficient
  strategies in developing numeracy in the early
  years. In Barwood, Greaves Jefferies (Eds.)
  Teaching Numeracy and Literacy Interventions and
  strategies for at risk students (pp. 191-206).
  Coldstream, VIC Australian Resource Educators
  Association.
• Siemon, D., Virgona, J., Corneille, K. (2001).
  The Middle Years Numeracy Research Project 5-9.
  Final Report. Bundoora, VIC RMIT University.
• Willis, S., Devlin, W., Jacob, L., Powell, B.,
  Tomazos, D., Treacy, K. (2004). First Steps in
  Mathematics Number. Understanding whole and
  decimal numbers Understand fractional numbers.
  Port Melbourne, Victoria Rigby Heinemann.