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Mathematics

I have students with disabilities in my room who are struggling with math. What are some things that I can do that work for, or are good to use with, students with disabilities in the area of math?

The follow list provides some examples from research that have been shown to benefit or help students with disabilities in the area of mathematics. Many of these items are standard-practice for standards-based (or reform-based) mathematical curricula. As a teacher, or intern, you may want to evaluate if you are using these things with your students with disabilities and/or all students. You may also want to consider if your students with disabilities are struggling in mathematics because of the math or the reading aspect of it. If they are struggling with the math aspect, consider some of the following questions. However, if they are struggling with the reading part of the mathematics curriculum, you may want to consider reading aloud the problem or lesson, have a strong reader read it to the class, or utilize partner reading where you assign the reader in the pair (i.e. select the stronger reader of the pair you select).

1.) Use manipulatives

• Research has suggested that manipulatives make math more accessible for special needs students (Maccini & Gagnon, 2000).
• Manipulatives can help students understand mathematical concepts and procedures, instead of just relying on rote memorization.
• Manipulatives can include number lines, tiles, plastic or paper coins/bills, shapes, fraction strips, base-10 blocks, geo-boards, polystrips, counters (beans, coins, etc.).

2.) Provide frequent reviewing and repetition of mathematical concepts and skills

• Research has found benefit for students with special needs benefit from the repetition of skills (Maccini & Gagnon, 2000).

3.) Use mathematical problems/content with real-life application

• Research has indicated that embedding math problems within real world context improves student motivation, participation, and generalization (Goodman a& Hasselbring, 1997; Maccini & Gagnon, 2000).

4.) Use partners or small groups

• The value of cooperative groups for students with special needs has been noted by researchers (Maccini & Gagnon, 2000).
• For students with writing challenges, research has supported the use of partner quizzes, which can help students with disabilities access the material and demonstrate their knowledge.

5.) Utilize classroom dialogue

• Research has emphasized the value of in-class discussions of strategies and multiple solutions in standards-based mathematics classrooms for students with disabilities (Woodward & Montague, 2002).

6.) Use calculators

• Research has suggested that calculators benefit students with disabilities, as it can be very time-consuming to do problems by hand for students with special needs, and perhaps doing them by hand is not really these students best use of instructional time (Woodward & Montague, 2002).
• Calculators are often considered a standard accommodation for students with disabilities (Maccini & Gagnon, 2000).

References

Goldman, S. R., & Hasselbring, T. S. (1997). Achieving meaningful mathematics literacy for students with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30, 198-208.

Maccini, P., & Gagnon, J. C. (2000). Best practices for teaching mathematics to secondary students with special needs. Focus on Exceptional Children, 32(5), 1-22.

Woodward, J., & Montague, M. (2002). Meeting the challenge of mathematics for students with LD. The Journal of Special Education, 23, 89-101.

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