“LIKE” Terms in Algebra Don’t Let Words Get in the Way

“LIKE” Terms in Algebra Don’t Let Words Get in the Way

by | Apr 13, 2020 | , , ,

Many students get confused about “like” terms in Math, but it’s not their fault. The terminology is confusing. Purple Math has a nice page on this post. In Algebra, “like terms” refers to terms that have the exact same variable raised to the same power. WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEO HERE: “What are Like Terms” Like many things for math and dyslexic students, the key is to provide students with an unambiguous definition of the word “like” in this context. Afterwards, the math problem solving parts are easy. Some students save screenshots of definitions from the Illustrated Math Dictionary (like the one below) so that they can review definitions and examples at review time.    

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Learning Doubles to Boost Math Facts Fluency

Learning Doubles to Boost Math Facts Fluency

by | Mar 18, 2020 | , , , , ,

Learning doubles math facts can help with number flexibility. After learning how to count and “count on“, doubles may be the next skill to learn. Origo Education has a nice post about how to introduce and practice doubling facts with students. First, students look for doubles in nature (see some ideas below). Next, students can practice doubling in pairs, where one student holds up fingers, the other mirrors, and both try to say the double the quickest. For students who need more time, working with double dominoes or dominoes sheets can build familiarity with doubles math facts. A nice free resources for learning math facts can be found HERE from Bill Hanlon After learning and mastering double facts, then doubles + 1 or doubles – […]

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Dyslexia and Math: Understanding Decimals [Premium]

Dyslexia and Math: Understanding Decimals [Premium]

by | Feb 17, 2020 | , , , , ,

WHY DECIMALS ARE HARD There are many confusing aspects to decimals that are helpful to recognize when helping students. Contrary to working with whole numbers, longer sequences of numbers are not larger than shorter ones. For instance, with whole numbers, 245 is greater than 2, but .0245 is smaller than 2. For math processes involving decimals, multiplying by a decimal number between 0 and 1 is also opposite to what one might be used to. After learning that multiplication is equal groups or repeated addition, multiplying 0.3 x 0.4 = 0.12, a number that is smaller than 0.3 or 0.4. Similarly, dividing by a decimal can result in a number that is bigger than what we started out with, which can seem even more confusing. […]

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PUTTING A NAME ON IT: Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia

PUTTING A NAME ON IT: Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia

by | Feb 11, 2020 | , , , , ,

The school year begins and then there’s a lull. The first days of excitement and change are past and now teachers are trying to figure out their students and students are trying to figure out their teachers. Now is a good time for students to talk to their teachers about dyslexia. The teacher cards available in our store are intended to present a big picture overview of dyslexia and ways that teachers can make their classrooms dyslexia-friendly. The nice thing about the cards is that it can spread awareness and offset the burden that students might otherwise have asking for basics like extra time on tests, assistive technology, and a note-taker. When some teachers are confronted with a long list of requests, they may think […]

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MATH: The Problem of Showing Work [Premium]

MATH: The Problem of Showing Work [Premium]

by | Jan 24, 2020 | , , , , ,

If you live in a Common Core state and your student attends public school chances are they frequently are asked to “show their work”. There can be significant challenges for dyslexic students showing work because to do so requires a great deal of verbal working memory, word retrieval, executive function, and writing, all tasks that can overload each other. As with many curricula, the intentions and logic behind some of the choices seem reasonable; but also like many programs, the implementation has significant flaws so that students can become trapped in the process. Students must conform to a curriculum or fail rather than a curriculum being designed to meet the needs of students. For instance, math teachers Katherine Beals and Garry Garelick reviewed some of […]

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Don’t Let Working Memory Prevent Math Learning

Don’t Let Working Memory Prevent Math Learning

by | Jan 13, 2020 | ,

We don’t spend enough time thinking about how much working memory overload could be impact in learning. In math, the issue is especially dire. CALCULATIONS In the early grades, working memory overload can occur when basic math facts can’t be learned to the point of automaticity. If students are losing their place in a problem, then allowing them to use a calculator while working in more demanding multi-stepped problems will allow knowledge to progress, rather than holding back students due to their slowness at math facts retrieval. Math facts can still be worked on separately with strategies like mnemonics, but the point is to not limit more advanced learning because math facts are not yet automatic. We know of technical professionals today who still don’t […]

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Teaching Math – No Need for Speed

Teaching Math – No Need for Speed

by | Dec 1, 2019 | , ,

“What do teachers need to know about teaching math? Strategy over speed, and math thinking over rote memorization.” – Stanford Professor Dr Jo Boaler Check out Jo’s tips from her new article, Speed and Time Pressure Block Working Memory (below).  “I was always deeply uncertain about my own intellectual capacity; I thought I was unintelligent. And it is true that I was, and still am, rather slow. I need time to seize things because I always need to understand them fully. Towards the end of the eleventh grade, I secretly thought of myself as stupid. I worried about this for a long time. I’m still just as slow . . . . At the end of the eleventh grade, I took the measure of the situation, […]

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Test Accommodations for Students with Dyslexia Under the ADA – DOJ Statement

Test Accommodations for Students with Dyslexia Under the ADA – DOJ Statement

by | Oct 4, 2019 | , , , , , , ,

The Department of Justice has also released  video clarification of key rights for students regarding testing accommodations under the ADA or Americans with Disabilities Act.  The entire video is located at the bottom of this post, but we are highlighting a section that mentions dyslexia by name (starts at 3:29) Exams are to be administered in order to best ensure that the exam results accurately reflect the individual’s aptitude or achievement level rather than the presence of a disability.   Roberta Kirkendall, Special Legal Counsel, Civil Rights Division         So if a history exam is to accurately reflect a dyslexic student’s aptitude or achievement in history, accommodations must be put in place to ensure the test is accurately assessing that knowledge, understanding, […]

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The Visual Life of Photographer CLARK JAMES MISHLER

The Visual Life of Photographer CLARK JAMES MISHLER

by | Jul 19, 2019 | , , , , ,

“I believe that not being able to read has offered me some fabulous opportunities to see the world differently. “ Clark Mishler Clark Mishler is one of the most sought-after photographers in Alaska and one of the top assignment photographers in the country. Thanks to him, we’re doubling our K-12 ART SHARE giveaway for the months of April and May and giving away EIGHT autographed copies of his book Portrait Alaska. Encourage your student to share a beautiful photograph or piece of artwork that we can share in an upcoming newsletter!

Although Clark was only formally identified as being dyslexic when he was 25, he struggled through school not actually learning how to read two words in succession until age 16. Although many […]

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Q: What Are the Best Tests for Dyscalculia? What About the Feifer Test?

Q: What Are the Best Tests for Dyscalculia? What About the Feifer Test?

by | Apr 5, 2019 | , , ,

Dyscalculia, or a math learning disability is important to identify because formal identification can qualify a student for accommodations both in the classroom and for high stakes tests. It can co-occur with dyslexia and it is under-recognized. We previously reviewed tests that can be used to identify dyscalculia HERE. In our clinic, we liked to use the Math tests on the WIAT-III because that test separately looks at speed of math facts retrieval, math reasoning (through orally presented word problems), and what the test called ‘Numerical Operations’ – an untimed test that presents math problems that start at Arithmetic and end at a little Calculus. What the latter test is good at is allowing a tester to look for math-gifted dyscalculics (not as uncommon as […]

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Your Brain on Math Anxiety [Premium]

Your Brain on Math Anxiety [Premium]

by | Feb 20, 2019 | , , , , , ,

This is your brain with math anxiety. In children as young as 7 years old, researchers found that activation in areas such as the amygdala and hippocampus were seen in children who had high math anxiety. The amydala and hippocampus are areas of the brain associated with fear condition and negative emotions. The children were given simple and complex arithmetic problems and asked to determine whether the answers given were right or wrong. The children  in the high and low anxiety group were matched for IQ, working memory, reading and math performance, and general trait anxiety. As a double burden, the high math anxiety group (HMA) in the figure showed lower brain fMRI activation in areas associated with math processing. So anxiety could be acting […]

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What is Dyscalculia? – Fast Facts [Premium]

What is Dyscalculia? – Fast Facts [Premium]

by | Feb 8, 2019 | , , , , , , ,

“There is nothing in the IDEA that would prohibit the use of the terms dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia in IDEA evaluation, eligibility determinations, or IEP documents.” – Michael Yudin, Department of Education “Dyscalculia is not assessed in our schools.”  – school professional Fast Facts about Dyscalculia What Is Dyscalculia?   Dyscalculia is usually defined as a difficulty with calculations or arithmetic skills that is not explained by low intelligence or inadequate schooling. How Common?  3-10% of people, 40% of dyslexics What Ages?  Dyscalculia is lifelong, although many helpful strategies can improve math achievement. When adults with dyscalculia have calculator accommodations, they can perform at high levels in even mathematics-intense disciplines.   From We Are Teachers How Do You Assess Dyscalculia?  Typically dyscalculia is assessed by calculating the […]

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