This case study involves one public school in a suburb of a major metropolitan area, focusing on one classroom of first grade students selected from a pool of volunteer classrooms. The first grade class of students, during their regular mathematics instruction, were given three tasks by their teachers designed to elicit a productive struggle…

This toolkit provides activities and resources to assist practitioners in designing and delivering intensive interventions in reading and mathematics for K-12 students with significant learning difficulties and disabilities. Grounded in research, this toolkit is based on the Center on Instruction's "Intensive Interventions for Students Struggling…

Dyscalculia is considered to be a learning difficulty or difference. It is increasingly being recognised and "diagnosed" within adult learning. However, practitioners are often unclear about whether learners who are considered to have dyscalculia are entitled to access arrangements for examinations and assessments, and which access…

This model is useful in identifying specific learning problems and in providing techniques for the teacher to motivate and teach students at all levels. What it is and how it can be used are discussed, illustrated by specific strategies for geometry and science. (MNS)

This study details the establishment of a teacher/learner laboratory at Monash University in Australia and the information it yielded about the learning and teaching of mathematics. Both instructors and learners understood they were cooperating to help develop an understanding of difficulties in learning and teaching strategies and ways to reduce…

This book features a guide to teaching mathematics more effectively. Examining the different ways students acquire mathematical skills, it helps teachers develop flexible teaching methods that suit these varied ways of learning. Common areas of learning difficulty in mathematics and why students fail, ways for teachers to determine gaps in…

Discusses some of the reasons why children fail in math, and suggests a general approach of moving from concrete to abstract in all situations. Reasons for math failure reviewed include too much or too little pressure on the child, lack of self-confidence, learning disabilities, and lack of vocabulary. (DLS)

Suggests that much of the trouble people have with numbers is linguistic. Points out differences between language and mathematical dimensions of math terms. Gives tips concerning reading of math problems, finding out what messages children are receiving, and the importance of basic number facts and estimation. (RH)

The article offers teachers suggestions on ways to instruct elementary students in the vocabulary of mathematics. It gives examples of math difficulties at the elementary school level, math difficulties related to vocabulary, and math difficulties related to problem solving. (DB)

Discusses student difficulties with probability concepts and argues that a key difficulty is the lack of transferability of pupils' curriculum-based knowledge. Presents several probability game activities to help students with these difficulties. (MKR)

This article proposes use of a restructured hundreds chart that involves a right-to-left sequence of numbers (similar to the direction of computations) and inclusion of zero. Specific instructional activities using the restructured chart are suggested for teaching such skills as counting, number identification, numerical relationships, place…

Some misconceptions about learning are discussed and specific suggestions for helping students in a college developmental mathematics class learn how to learn mathematics are presented. Extensive footnotes are appended. (MNS)

Requirements for assessment under Public Law 94-142, the development of an Individualized Education Program for each handicapped child, the least restrictive environment, handicapping conditions, implementation procedures, diagnostic teaching strategies and learning conditions, teaching ideas, and a format for diagnostic interviews are each…

Research on the conceptual notions of fractions held by students at various levels of schooling is discussed. A method of approach to instructing students on fractions that seems to hold considerable promise is also covered in detail. (MP)

Discussed is the important role that counting skills play as prerequisites to other mathematics skills. Suggests ways in which counting skills can be taught to young children experiencing learning difficulties. The skills are classified as rote counting, point counting, rational counting, counting on, and skip counting. (YP)