Instructional Methods for Teaching Mathematics to Students with Disabilities

Ariana Berman

Abstract:
The motivation behind the research conducted for this thesis is to study inclusion in learning, specifically in mathematics for students with disabilities. As a mathematics teacher, finding the appropriate tools to assist students in learning and becoming successful is extremely important. In the research that was done for this paper over the past year, there were three general methods that were shown to be effective in helping students learn mathematics which are manipulatives, technology, and strategies for a specific skill. Mathematics is an important subject for students to learn and results from standardized testing display evidence that students can make improvements in mathematics. There are students in a general education classroom who have disabilities and as a general education classroom it is the responsibility of the teacher to include all students in the lessons. There are researchers who have studied different types of instructional methods for teachers to use in the classroom for students with disabilities. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2021) website there were 7.3 million students or 14% of public school students who received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Act in 2019-2020. By incorporating strategies that can be used in a general education classroom, designed for students with disabilities, studies have shown that there was improvement in student learning and can also be used for other students in the classroom.