2. Implemenment a numeracy support program

1. Why might support programs be needed?

Often numeracy support programs are required because a student has missed some crucial understanding in their mathematics and numeracy development. Because maths continually builds on previous knowledge this can cause huge gaps in understanding and therefore have an ongoing impact on progress.

The children you are supporting might:

• have a particular learning disability which affects their capacity to learn mathematics / numeracy
• have missed crucial elements and need to try and fill in some of the gaps
• have dyscalculia, which is a disability that affects your ability to understand and work with number and other maths ideas
• be EAL / ESL / EALD students who need support whilst learning the language around mathematics and numeracy learning
• have not learned key basic concepts in a way that they understood.

3. What are you doing and why are you doing it that way?

When working in numeracy support programs, it is crucial to ask students to explain what they are doing and why. It is only by doing this that you can understand the student's thinking and work out what they do and don't understand. An answer only will not do that.

5. Increasing independence

As you work with children, your goal is to give them the skills to acquire independence in mathematics and numeracy.

Read or re-read the Thelma Perso article about Increasing Numeracy Independence.