Examples of Math Difficulties

Examples of Math Difficulties

• Difficulty with sequencing (students expend so much energy taking in information that they have little energy for manipulating or analyzing)

• Difficulty comprehending verbal math problems

• Difficulty completing multi-step problems

• May mix-up numbers with the same digits (84 and 48)

Math Strategies

• Pre-teach new vocabulary/concepts

• Teach cognitive/visual mapping and non-linguistic representations

• Teach students to rehearse and over-learn new information

  • 1. Verbal rehearsal-voiced or using inner voice

    2. Elaborative rehearsal-associate information with prior knowledge

• Model problem-solving through think aloud activities

Accommodations

• Present skills from concrete to abstract

• Present information with a retrieval cue-such as category labels

• Provide retrieval practice

• Allow the use of a number line or calculator

• Highlight key words and ideas on worksheets

• Provide examples by modeling or demonstrating and leave the example on display

• Use printed instructions that are easy to read and understand (use short, simple language)

• Using a large graphic format, have students walk through math computations drawn on the floor to gain an understanding of the organizational framework

• Use familiar objects to set up and solve math problems

• Consider using flash cards or computer programs to practice basic math facts

• Re-write word problems using short sentence and simple language

• Provide or help the student develop a visual dictionary