Pages: 299 Price: $29.95 ISBN: 9781557668660
Findings from research studies in the United States (Badian, 1983), Norway (Ostad, 1998), Israel (Gross-Tsur, Manor, & Shalev, 1996), and Europe (Kosc, 1974) have shown that 5% to 8% of school-age children exhibit some form of mathematics disabilities and long-term problems associated with mathematics difficulties (Geary, 2004; Griffin & Case, 1997). With many of these students, reading disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder have been identified as comorbid disorders (Geary, 2004; Gross-Tsur et al., 1996). For some students, mathematical difficulties or disabilities may be observed as a developmental delay in procedural strategies, whereas other students may demonstrate developmentally different characteristics that remain persistent across the grades (Geary, 1993; Jordan, Hanich, & Kaplan, 2003; Rivera, 1997). Teachers today face the challenge of educating these struggling students in their classrooms. Doubtless, they are searching for effective instructional strategies.
Teaching Mathematics Meaningfully: Solutions for Reaching Struggling Learners is written to help K-12 teachers of struggling learners to understand mathematics in meaningful ways. The book is organized to provide teachers and those who want to become teachers with an informed yet practical process for doing this very important job.
The authors of the book start by providing a conceptual framework that integrates four universal features of effective mathematics instruction for struggling learners, including an understanding of and instruction in both content and process of big ideas, an understanding of learning characteristics of and barriers for struggling learners, continuous assessment of learning and instructional decision making, and an ability to make mathematics accessible. The rest of the book describes how educators can design and implement the universal features framework and thereby provide effective mathematics instruction for struggling learners. The book provides numerous examples, clear explanations and printable forms/worksheets to be used in the classroom. Extensive background in the conceptual framework sets the stage for activities, lesson plans, investigations, and assessment tools that are thoroughly grounded in the latest research.
The opportunity for struggling learners to learn mathematics effectively is dependent upon a wide range of factors, but among the more important are activities and practices within the classroom. In this book, the collaboration of the authors from the two different disciplines of special education and mathematics education definitely helps make it a valuable resource for K-12 mathematics teachers. Today, almost every classroom includes a number of students who are dealing with a disability -- either physical, educational, emotional, or a combination of all three. Teachers find themselves looking for information and resources that will help effectively teach those students and help students learn successfully. This book discuses not only the field of mathematics but includes the different classroom teaching techniques driven from the field of special education. There are many ideas and accompanying student examples for teaching to help teachers understand why some students struggle. It directly addresses students' learning barriers with lesson plans, strategies, and forms and most importantly, help teachers checking their own strengths and needs with a thought-provoking questionnaire on their current teaching practices
Students from diverse cultures and students who are English language learners also may benefit from many of the strategies that are described in this book. However, the research base that supports the information, in large part, does not address these specific groups of students directly. Secada (1991) has warned that efforts to educate language minority students will be in vain unless language teachers and content educators begin to pay serious attention to each other's reform agendas. The content-ESL teacher will need to teach the content and skills presupposed in reformed mainstream classes, while mathematics and science teachers will need to become attuned to the special needs of language minority students and be prepared to plan their instruction accordingly. It would be a great addition to this book to include these specific groups of students and ESOL Math integration in the next edition.
Overall, this is an excellent resource for teachers of K-12 math with struggling learners because of the many ideas and accompanying student examples it contains for teaching mathematics. It is a book that demonstrates many ways the mathematics teacher can make students' thoughts and ideas overt. The authors pay close attention to the role, importance, methods and techniques of motivation. They present ideas that will generate attention, interest, and surprise among students, and thus will foster creative thinking.
References
Badian, N. A. (1983). Dyscalculia and nonverbal disorders of learning. In H. R. Myklebust (Ed.), Progress in learning disabilities (Vol. 5, pp. 235-264). New York: Grune & Stratton.
Geary, D. C. (1993). Mathematical disabilities: Cognitive, neuropsychological, and genetic components. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 345-362.
Geary, D. C. (2004). Mathematics and learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37, 4-15.
Griffin, S., & Case, R. (1997). Wrapping up: Using peer commentaries to enhance models of mathematics teaching and learning. Issues in Education, 3, 115-134.
Gross-Tsur, V., Manor, O., & Shalev, R. S. (1996). Developmental dyscalculia: Prevalence and demographic features. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 38, 25-33.
Jordan, N. C., Hanich, L. B., & Kaplan, D. (2003). Arithmetic fact mastery in young children: A longitudinal investigation. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 85, 103-119.
Kosc, L. (1974). Developmental dyscalculia. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 7, 164-177.
Ostad, S. A. (1998).Developmental differences in solving simple arithmetic word problems and simple number-fact problems: A comparison of mathematically disabled children. Mathematical Cognition, 4(1), 1-19.
Rivera, D. P. (1997). Mathematics education and students with learning disabilities: Introduction to the special series. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30, 2-19, 68.
Secada, W. G. (1991). Evaluating the mathematics education of limited English proficient students in a time of educational change. Paper presented at the Second National Research Symposium on Limited English Proficient Student Issues, Washington, D.C. Available online from ERIC, ED 349828. http://eric.ed.gov:80/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=ED349828
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