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Summative Math Assignment

Adam Bowering
March 4, 2016
1. Teaching

Mathematics to Students with

Learning Disabilities Annotated
Bibliography.Page 2

Instructional Design in Mathematics for Students with Learning

Disabilities...2-3
Math interventions for students with learning disabilities: myths and
realities....2-4
Mathematics and learning
disabilities.........................4
Investigating elementary mathematics curricula: focus on
students with learning
disabilities............................4-5
Preparing teachers to teach mathematics to students with
learning disabilities5-6
Mathematics instruction for elementary students with learning
disabilities..6-7

2.
A Critical Review of NCTM Articles
-FractionsPage 7
3.
Review of Math
Manipulatives..
Base-ten
Blocks
Pattern
Blocks..
Money

Fraction
Tiles.
Two-Sided
Counters

4.
Mathematics and
Technology.

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Smartboard lesson An Introduction to

Fractions
Video Using regrouping for addition and subtraction using base ten
blocks.
Big book Fall Into
Counting

5.
Other Areas of
Interest
Elementary Mathematics course Journal
entries
Science observation journal graphs..
.
Cool Websites and video related to mathematics concepts..

1.Teaching Mathematics to Children with

Learning Disabilities - Annotated Bibliography
Mathematics is regularly seen as an area of struggle for many
students. This is especially true for students with learning disabilities.
Mathematics content can be overwhelming to these students since there are
many strategies and skills they must acquire in a relatively short amount of
time for their cognitive processes. I believe it is up to the educator to take
note of these differences, and adjust their instruction accordingly.
Throughout the following annotated bibliography, I highlight some articles
that I have found interesting that introduce applicable ways of teaching
mathematics content to children with learning disabilities.

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Carnine, D. 1997. Instructional Design in Mathematics for Students with

Learning

Disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30(2), 130-141.

The author suggests that there are multiple causes for low
achievement level for students with learning disabilities. One
such cause is the mismatch between the students learning and
design of instruction. Students with learning disabilities may
have difficulty with memory, and strategy acquisition. When
concepts are introduced at a rapid pace that students are not
able to keep up with, these students often become overwhelmed
and disinterested in the material. Students with learning
disabilities benefit more when the design is centered on big
ideas, strategies, efficient use of time with manipulatives, clear
and explicit instruction, and practice and review. Another
strategy for instruction is to use strand organization for lessons.
The idea is to design lessons around strands to address different
big ideas in 5-10 minute periods. When teachers apply these
design principles, it could have a positive effect on achievement
for students with learning disabilities.

Fleischner, J. E., & Manheimer, M. A. 1997. Math interventions for students

with learning
Review, 26(3), 397-413.

disabilities: myths and realities. School Psychology

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Two types of learning disabilities are discussed in this

paper. They include dyscalculia, and verbal learning disabilities,
which are referred to as garden-variety learning disabilities.
The focus of this paper is to help educators understand effective
instructional techniques that help students with disabilities.
Starting with children at the precomputation level, methods for
whole number operations, place value, and fractional concepts
are discussed as well as algebra and problem solving. An
example used for whole number computation is providing
students with wide-celled graph paper, so that students who
have difficulty with place value can have markers that align
numerals. Ones, tens, and hundred can be placed at the top of
the column on the graph to help students with the recall of
information. Calculators are also presented by the authors, who
say that calculators are encouraged by the NCTM. These devices
serve as a way to verify answers. Students should also have
symbols that represent operations in math, and pictorial and
concrete representation of the material to strengthen their
skillset.
When children learn to read, they are usually placed in
groups of students at the same level as them, which is not often
done in mathematics. The authors suggest that this should also
be done in math so teachers can use specific instruction for

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students with learning disabilities, rather than a one-size fits all

class instruction.
Geary, D. 2004. Mathematics and learning disabilities. Journal of Learning
Disabilities,

37(1), 4-15.
Children with Learning disabilities often have trouble with
numbers, counting, and arithmetic. Counting principles and the
principles of problem solving tended to be lacking in the children
used in this study. The study also goes on to say that children
with learning disabilities continue to have difficulties in retrieving
arithmetic facts from their long-term memory, which did not
improve over time. The study found that children with LD had
interruptions in attentional information processing. This resulted
in difficulties with information manipulation with math language.
Students with learning disabilities require more time to process
information, which is just as true for math content. Providing
students with the time to process new information allows these
students to have a better understanding of concepts like
counting and basic arithmetic.

Hord, C., & Newton, J. A. 2014. Investigating elementary mathematics

curricula: focus on

students with learning disabilities. School Science

and Mathematics, 114(4), 191-201.

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The purpose of this study was to examine curricula to see if

there was a way to provide more opportunities for engagement
for students with LD. The study focused on three mathematics
curricula that put a spotlight on accessibility in regards to
challenges in working memory for these students. Instruction
that was used in this study included the emphasis of visuals,
math conversations, and developing metacognitive skills. The
finding was that teachers must consider how their curriculum
outcomes provide effective instruction for the storage and
organization of information for these students. Teachers must
also take into account how the outcomes develop students
thinking processes and their overall understanding of
mathematical concepts. This specific study concluded that the
curriculum areas were effective in teaching students with LD to
solve multi-step problems. However, supplemental materials
should be used in conjunction with curriculum to meet the needs
of students with LD.
Parmar, R., & Cawley, J. 1997. Preparing teachers to teach mathematics to
students with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30(2),
188-197.
Several standards are put forth in this study which reflect
the way in which teachers need to prepare to teach children with
learning disabilities. Standard one is to model good mathematics

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teaching. Teachers need to have knowledge of the curriculum,

and the variety of instructional techniques available to them.
Teachers shouldnt just focus on one area to strengthen
their teaching, they must focus on a well-rounded approach
when teaching mathematics. A collaborative approach between
the teacher and special education teacher is suggested when
teaching children with LD. An expectation of this approach would
be enhanced quality of education, allowing students to reach
higher levels of problem solving, reasoning, and connections with
the mathematics content.
Standard two is for students to have the appropriate
knowledge of mathematics. Textbooks have gotten longer, and
therefore more complex. Breaking the information down into
finer details will decrease the time for coverage of the content.
Teachers need a balanced approach to provide students with an
understanding of the meanings, processes, and principles of
mathematics.
The study stressed that activities need to be planned
around real-life problem solving and big ideas. New teachers
must constantly keep in contact with other teachers and staff,
creating a collaborative approach when focusing on appropriate
instruction. This study also cited the NCTM as one of the
organizations to use as a reference for teachers.

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Thornton, C., Langrall, C., & Jones, G. 1997. Mathematics instruction for elementary students
with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30(2), 142-150.
This study highlights the need for teachers to constantly be
questioning their long standing beliefs when it comes to
teaching, learning, and using curriculum. Common practice in
todays classroom reflects a narrow focus on computation. The
paper speaks about how the NCTM proposed five goals to rethink
math teaching and learning. They include instilling value of math
on students, increasing confidence in their ability to do math,
become mathematical problem-solvers, to reason
mathematically, and to communicate using math. Teachers
should do this by decreasing their pencil-and-paper computation
and rote memorization of the content. Students should be given
multiple ways to represent the same answer. This could be
through illustration or manipulative use.
In the end, the article suggests that teachers need to have
a balanced approach when teaching mathematics, engaging
students in meaningful tasks, accommodating for the diverse
ways in which students learn, and to allow students to discuss
and justify their problem-solving strategies. Teachers need to
provide students time to engage in and share their own solutions
to meaningful problems.

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2.
A Critical Review of NCTM Articles
Fractions
Article 1
DAmbrasio, B. & Kastberg, S.E. (2012). Building understanding of Decimal
Fractions. Teaching

Children Mathematics. 18(9), 559-565.

Introduction
Beatriz DAmbrosio is a professor at Miami University in
Oxford, Ohio. Her area of expertise is mathematics with
specialties in mathematics teaching and learning, mathematics
teacher education, curricular reform in school mathematics and
math education. Signe E. Kastberg has her Ph.D. in Mathematics
Education and is a professor at Purdue University in West
Lafayette. She has specialties in postsecondary learner's
development of mathematics content knowledge; prospective
elementary teacher knowledge development in the multiplicative
conceptual field; children's knowledge development in the
multiplicative conceptual field; constructivist teaching. Both
authors backgrounds and specialties provide them with the
expertise in their field.

Summary

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This article discusses an investigation looking at decimal

understanding amongst pre-service teachers and students. The
investigators presented pre-service teachers and students with
decimal grids and were told to illustrate and explain their
thinking when ordering 0.606, 0.0666, 0.6, 0, 0.66 and 0.060.
Several of the pre-service teachers struggled with using the grid
paper to represent the decimal numbers. They had five students
complete this question and they used their answers to draw their
conclusion. Four out of the five students struggled like the preservice teachers. By analyzing the students work it revealed to
them three distinctive sources of difficulty of understanding
decimal numerals and their representations of quantities. The
first source of difficulty is that students didnt understand the
relationship between the various subdivisions of a whole. The
second source of difficulty many students did not see the
additive nature of the decimal places. The last, and most
important, difficulty is that relying on procedures for ordering
decimals can mask a students true understanding of the relative
size of decimal numerals. DAmbrosio and Kastberg offer
solutions for these three difficulties they uncovered. For the first
difficulty teachers should focus on only one grid at a time and
instruct students to use that particular grid to show different
decimal quantities. The second solution is for teachers to place a
larger emphasis on additive nature of the place-value system.
The last strategy is to provide follow up tasks for students that
continue to build the students understanding of the relationships
between and among subdivisions. The article concludes with the
recommendation that procedural routines that mask students
misunderstanding of how to represent decimals can be avoided if
teachers begin with idea of what makes decimals difficult for

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students to fully grasp and as they teach to keep those

difficulties in mind.

Presentation

Personal Response

Conclusion

Article 2 Kent, L.B., Empson, S.B., & Nielsen, L. (2015). The richness of childrens
fraction strategies

. Teaching children mathematics. 22(2), 85-90.

Introduction
Summary
Presentation
Personal Response
Conclusion

Article 3

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McCormick, K.K. (2015). Making Fractions Meaningful. Teaching children

mathematics. 22(4),

231-238.

Introduction
Summary
Presentation
Personal Response
Conclusion

3.

Review of Math Manipulatives

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Base-10 blocks

Image source: http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Plastic-BaseStarter/dp/B000F8VBBO

Base ten blocks are very versatile manipulatives that can be used to
represent many abstract concepts in mathematics. They can be used to
illustrate addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. I would
use base ten in any grade, since they have such a range of use. They can be
used to introduce place value to lower grades, and decimal points in upper
elementary. During my student internship, I introduced base ten to my grade
2 class. I started with the basics. Units were first, followed by rods which I
associated with being 10 units. This was a tough concept for students to
grasp at first, since they couldnt quite understand the value of each unit. I
would use base ten blocks for any of the above mentioned topics.

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Pattern Blocks

Image Source: http://www.mathedpage.org/angles/

As the picture illustrates above, a set of pattern blocks consist of a blue
rhombus, green triangle, tan rhombus, orange square, yellow hexagon, and
the red trapezoid. These manipulatives can be used to meet a number of
curriculum outcomes. Students can use pattern blocks to explore basic
geometric shapes or put them together to build more intricate or complex
shapes. These blocks allow students to see that larger shapes are composed
of smaller ones, which relates to fractions. These blocks would also be a
great tool for students to create and identify patterns. I would use them to
indicate concepts, like teaching about the pattern core to lower Elementary
students. These manipulatives also provide students with a way of
identifying and discovering 2D shapes in a hands on way. Pattern blocks are
an educational tool that students have fun using, which makes their learning
more engaging. They are very versatile and are found in most schools. One
cool thing about these shapes is that you can display them on the smart
board at the same time that the students are manipulating them at their
desks, creating a reference when you a teaching concepts to the class.

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Money as Manipulatives

Image source: https://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?

subject=Mathematics/10&category=Money+-+Materials+%26+Manipulatives/2569

In a typical set of money manipulatives, you will find pennies, nickels,

dimes, quarters, loonies, toonies and bills. Money is a tangible manipulative
since it is something students will use in their everyday lives. The
mathematic skills related to money are necessary for all ages. One important
note to make as a teacher is that pennies do not exist anymore, which would
be something you would have to teach to lower Elementary students. This
manipulative can be used to establish a further understanding of addition,
subtraction, division and multiplication. This manipulative would benefit
students in their exploration of decimals and fractions as well. There are
dollars, which are wholes, and cents, which are parts of a whole. This helps
to support students understanding of decimals and fractions. The fraction
can be represent like this: 45/100, with 45 being the cents, and 100 being a

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dollar. The fact that students use this manipulative in a real life content
strengthens its ability to connect students to the content.

Fraction Tiles

Image source: https://www.enasco.com/product/TB15811T

As seen in the picture above, a full set of fraction tiles consists of one
whole, two halves, three thirds, four quarters, five fifths, six sixths, eight
eighths, ten tenths and twelve twelfths. Fraction tiles are an excellent way
for students to explore and understand how parts make up a whole. I would
use the simpler fractions at first when I am introducing fractions, and

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gradually introduce fractions with a greater denominator as students become

more comfortable with this type of manipulative. This manipulative also
furthers students understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication and
division of fractions. These manipulatives give students a concrete
representation of an abstract concepts. Since a lot of students believe that
each number in a fraction is different, these provide clarity on that issue by
getting students to see the set of numbers as a whole. Being able to see the
proportions of these fractions makes it easier for students to compare, order,
and examine equivalent fractions. Some fraction tiles also have decimal
notations on the opposite side, which is excellent for seeing the relationship
between decimals and fractions which is beneficial in the upper primary
grades. I chose this manipulative to review because I feel as though it
provides a great visual for students when they are learning fractions. Its
important that students see concepts and are able to explore them in a
hands-on way. Students struggle with understanding fraction sizes. Many
children might believe that 1/7 is bigger than 1/3 simply because the 7 is
larger than the 3. The manipulative provides students a way to see these
fractions for what they truly are.

Two-Sided Counters

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Image source: http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Advantage-7210-MagneticCounters/dp/B001UG0BJ8

Two sided counters are another versatile manipulative that can be used
in so many different ways. First off, they help students with counting,
differentiating between sets of objects, addition and subtraction, or
multiplication and division. I used counters in my peer teaching module to
differentiate between different sets of fractions using ten frames. I asked for
students to use one colour to represent 3/10, and another colour to represent
2/10. This allowed me to bridge into the addition of fractions as well, since
the two sets could be combined. I also use them to teach about the multiple
ways a number good be represented using addition. For example, if students
were looking for the number 6, I would ask students to drop their 6
counters on their desks to see how many different ways this number could
be represented.
I really enjoyed using counters. They provide students with so many
easy ways to represent abstract concepts. I would use these as a regular part
of my math teaching in my classroom.

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4. Mathematics and Technology

Smartboard lesson An introduction to fractions
The focus of the following lesson is how to introduce fractions at a
basic level. This lesson is intended for a grade 3 introduction. The foundation
of fractional concepts is so important in math, as these concepts extend into
other math areas. In this lesson, I speak about the appropriate vocabulary to
use when talking about fractions, and the way in which students should be
associating fractions to real-life application.

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Using Manipulatives for Regrouping

Base-ten blocks are a fantastic way to illustrate addition and
subtraction problems using a technique called regrouping. This technique
provides a simple and concrete way for students to have a visual
representation of a problem. In the following video, I talk about the
advantages of using this technique, and the steps to follow to complete this
technique.

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Fall into Counting Big book

The aim of this big book was to provide students with multiple
representations of counting using familiar objects. As the authors, we wanted
to include an element of interactivity with the book so that students could
use a hands-on approach when counting. Students will also be exercising
their literacy skills, requiring them to listen to hear the problem that they

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must solve on each page. We also introduced a simple way to include

addition within some of the problems.

5. Other Areas of Interest

Journal entries from my math methods course.
Discussion Questions

Examine your own regions curriculum document. What are the

learning expectations for number for children in kindergarten
to grade 2? Compare these expectations with ideas presented

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in this chapter. What ideas are stressed? Did anything surprise

you?
The learning expectations are similar to those in this chapter. Children are
expected to skip count by 2s, 5, and 10s, count on from a number, count by
ones from a given number and count forwards and backwards. Children are
also expected to count using coins. This last expectation surprised me since
money is an abstract concept. Students must first learn to associate the
corresponding worth of each coin to the coins presented in a math problem.
This could serve to be problematic at first since children at this stage have
only learned to count objects based on how many objects there are. Now,
objects have different quantities associated with them, penny being one,
nickel being five, and a dime being ten. Children have been learning using
singular manipulatives to this point, so adding this concept of coins being
worth more than others may be confusing to children in the beginning.
However, this is an important skill since children will eventually be using
money in the real world.

Youve noticed that a student you are working with is counting

objects with an accurate sequence of numbers words, but is
not attaching a number to each object. Therefore, the
students final count is inconsistent and inaccurate. What
would you plan to help this student develop a better grasp of
one-to-one correspondence?

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There a couple of strategies I might use to help this child with one-to-one
correspondence. The first strategy would be to have a set of flash cards with
the corresponding number. As the student counts the object, the flash card
with the correct number could be located underneath that object so the
student could associate the number with the object. Another strategy would
be to use a calculator or counter. As the student counts each object, have
them record the number on the calculator or counter so they are associating
that number with the object in the sequence.

Explore a web-based program for drilling basic facts. What

features does the program have that are good? Not so good?
How would you use such programs in a classroom with only
one or two available computers? How would you differentiate it
to address those who are working on different fact strategies?

This article contains web-based programs of basic math facts and other
subjects: https://jr.brainpop.com/
This program has simple math equations that student can interact with. I
found that students would become highly engaged in the content once they
were able to use this sort of program before exploring the concepts in real
life. In terms of limitations in technology, if there were only 2 computers in
the class, the teacher could simply pose questions during whole group
instruction. Students can share ideas with the class as to what they think the

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answer would be. The teacher would use the answer on the website to see if
it would be correct or not.

What is the importance of mental mathematics and

computational estimation for daily living? What are the
advantages of being able to estimate in public situations and
settings?

Mental mathematics aids in the every math concept that we use in a real life
context. We use math to count money when we buy groceries from the store,
or we use mental math to count our hours weve worked during the week.
We use mental math while playing sports to add up scores to determine who
defeats who. The advantage of being able to estimate in public situation
shows your competency with being able to perform simple math problems
without the use of a calculator or other device that people tend to depend
upon. This is especially true with the use of cell phones. Most of these device
come equipped with a ready to use calculator, making them easy and
convenient, which hampers our ability to use our mental math skills.

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Science Observation Journal

The following images depict graphs that I created in a project that we
completed as part of my Elementary science course. The first photograph
shows a line graph, which compares two different sets of temperatures over
a span of 15 days. I gathered the data from a thermometer outside of Brian
Mulroney Hall on the STU campus, as well as from theweathernetwork.com.

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In this second photograph, I chose to use a bar graph to show the different
quantities and types of garbage I found in the habitat we were investigating.
This kind of graph gives a good representation of the type of data I collected.

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For this final illustration, we had to map the area we were studying, and
measure the total area using length X width. I found this activity easy, and
found that it would easily be translated into a classroom activity.

Cool websites and videos!

http://www.aplusmath.com/
This website provides a ton of cool and interactive games to help students
with their math skills. There are also worksheets, digital flashcards, and
videos!
http://www.coolmath-games.com/

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This is another cool and fun interactive filled with information on various
topics in mathematics.
A YouTube video for decimals: