Numeracy Across the Curriculum

Numeracy across the Curriculum Challenges and Strategies Reading:

Challenges Strategies Difficulty reading the questions  Check the readability of the text.  Teach the chunking technique.  Highlight difficult words. These words can be written on the board/flashcards and taught explicitly.  Graphic and picture cues can assist comprehension and aid word prediction. Request students to scan the problem for unknown words. Highlight and discuss and define with teacher/peer.  Reading pen.  Digital voice recorders.  Reading buddy.  Provide assistive technology such as text-to-speech software. Comprehension difficulties  Word walls for numeracy. Teach the student to find key words that give the clue to the process required.  Encourage the student to draw a simple sketch of word problems, turn the problem into pictures not words.  Highlight number words in one colour, vocabulary in another etc. Encourage repeated reading. Allow the student to use a ruler/reading ruler if he/she loses place.  If reading the questions/giving instructions/explaining concepts – be aware of the speed used, important to be at a pace that allows students to process the information.  Preview the problem and summarise content and main points with Mind Maps.  Match number sentences to concrete materials e.g. 8 + 5 (real items better than counters). Directional confusion  Highlight tables/diagrams in a different colour, if the student is concentrating on left-right reading flow they may miss these. Reading large numbers  Teach the strategy of chunking the figures from the right in threes.  Place value charts also useful. If there is a decimal point, make it very obvious and perhaps have it in a different colour.

Memory:

Special Education Support Service, c/o Cork Education Support Centre, The Rectory, Western Road, Cork Tel: 021 4254241 - Email: [email protected] Challenges Strategies Forgetting verbal instruction  One step rule, give one instruction at a time. Chunk information.  Highlighting of information.  Accompany instructions with visual/concrete cues where possible.  Teach internal rehearsal techniques, mind-mapping, give the students extra time etc.

Poor visual memory and difficulties copying information from the board/book  More time. Consider giving the student a handout.

Difficulties remembering the sequencing of steps  Checklists (sequence checklist). involved in solving a problem  Teacher should model the steps of the problem aloud (self talk), encourage students to do same.  Use acronyms/mnemonics e.g. RUDE – Read the question, Underline (highlight) key words, Draw diagram/graph/chart, Estimate the answer.

Difficulty remembering formulae  Mnemonics, visualisation, rhymes, jingles, colour coding, memory cards.  Method cards.

Forgetting the symbols and the associated words  Multisensory approach to teaching words and symbols. Matching games, forgetting which symbol is being used within a maths problem memory cards, cue cards.  Symbol cards.

Language processing difficulty  Write down mental maths for students.  Use visual cues to assist information recall.  Mnemonics.  Mind Maps/Flow charts to link new learning to prior knowledge.  Internal rehearsal (visualisation).  Teach numeracy in more than one mode – visually, verbally and experimentally e.g. mock shop

Directional Confusion, Spatial awareness:

Challenges Strategies Left to right confusion  Students may need a personal strategy for remembering this, some ideas may be to mark left and right on the corners of their desk show that their left hand can make the letter L by holding the left fingers together and the thumb horizontal.  Incorporate the teaching of left to right in all day-to-day activities.  If the student has difficulties knowing where to begin on their copy, the teacher may mark a point in marker where they can begin.

Prepositions (above, below)  Play games that incorporate these words in PE for example.  Cue cards.

Directional words e.g.  PE and movement may be used to introduce these words horizontal, vertical, diagonal  Use concrete objects and allow students to arrange them horizontally/diagonally etc.

Difficulties reading tables,  Colour code column/row, heading etc. charts, diagrams  Use squared paper or lined paper turned sideways to create columns.

Difficulty copying from  Use different coloured markers to assist the student in following from one line to another. board  Reduce amount of information to be copied.  Provide copy of information. Organisation:

Challenges Strategies Locating books/equipment difficulties  Colour code books and copies.  Have a separate pencil case for numeracy to include ruler, pencil, protractor, calculator etc.  Have a folder (as distinct as possible ) for numeracy handouts, loose leaf pages etc.  Consider a home/ school numeracy wallet for home/school.

Writing, organisation/where to begin on the page  Clear margins, squared copy, encourage the student to draw a line on the left side of the page for rough work (perhaps have these done in advance).  When drawing graphs use squared paper.  Have a clear symbol marked on the page where the student starts their computation.  Encourage students to separate the answer from their working out e.g. Answer = 24  Teach students to underline final answer.  Organisational checklist / Task Management Board.

Digit reversals , misreading numbers  Multisensory reinforcement and over learning of digit shapes.  Encourage verbalisation and rechecking.  Allow lots of practice.

Ruler Use  Specifically set time aside to teach students how to hold/use rulers etc (left-handed also available).

Writing down homework  Consider a buddy system. Allow time for homework to be taken down at the beginning of the lesson or about ten minutes before the end of the lesson.  Consider the use of colour- coded homework sheets. Copying form board  Use different coloured markers to assist student in following from one line to another.  Reduce amount of information to be copied down.  Provide a copy of the information.

Language:

Challenges Strategies Language fluency  Allow the student to write the method rather than explain it. difficulty  Self talk- student to think aloud as they work so they can hear the language and method they are using, teacher should model this method.  Chunk the information – speak in short, clear sentences.  Allow ‘thinking time’ and ‘response time’.  Use Mind Maps to outline the lesson, to teach and summarise.  Encourage student to create personal Mind Maps to clarify the lesson for themselves and to facilitate processing of information.  Support ‘teacher talk’ with visual cues.  Provide concrete materials and resources.

Vocabulary difficulty  Introduce new vocabulary in a concrete way e.g. fractions – break the bar of chocolate into four equal pieces – each of the pieces is a quarter.  Visual cues.  Rebus.  Pre-teach the key words.  Numeracy Dictionary.  Online maths Dictionary www.amathsdictionaryforkids.com Attention/ Speed of working:

Challenges Strategies Difficulty staying on task  Identify topics of interest  Break tasks into a series of small steps.  Give information in more than one modality.  Keep instructions short – CHUNK.  Demonstrate instructions with diagram or picture.  Teach internal rehearsal strategies/ mnemonics.  Provide students with a scribble pad.  Allow thinking time- revision picture/mind map.  Checklists/adhesive notes.  Seat students close to where teacher usually stands.  Transparent zip wallet/folder – urgent tasks.

Speed of working  Introduce a few short, simple mental problems at the start of each lesson – improves listening and processing skills.  Provide time management aids e.g. checklists.  Extra time to complete tasks  Reduce the number of tasks to be completed. Problem Solving Skills:

Challenges Strategies Cognitive Skills  Direct teaching of a problem solving strategy e.g. RUDE Read the problem carefully Underline/highlight key words/symbols Draw a picture/graph Evaluate/estimate answer  Model the strategy for solving straight forward/more compel problems and afford lots of practice.  Reflect on the purpose of each step.  Work backwards.

Conceptual  Introduce concepts using real life examples e.g. when introducing measure get students to measure the dimensions of classroom Understanding etc.  Use a model of concrete materials  Use appropriate numeracy games.  Give students the opportunity (with guidance) to set their own problems for others to solve.  Provide opportunities for regular revisiting of concepts/skills.

Meta-cognitive skills  Encourage self-questioning ‘What needs to be solved in this problem?’ (identify the task) ‘How can I do it?’ (select a strategy) ‘Can I picture the problem?’ (visualise) ‘Is it working out?’ (self-monitoring) ‘How can I check my answer? Does my answer make sense?’ (evaluation)  Continuous Evaluation Encourage discussion and dialogue – allow time for planning before beginning activity and at the end of activity/lesson allow time to reflect – What went right/wrong/can be improved?  Provide prompts/probing questions to help students talk about their thinking – Why did you use that method? Have you worked out a problem like this before? Can you think of another way?

General Strategies

Whole School approach:

 Visual Displays – numeracy word walls, strategy walls (agreed strategy throughout the school e.g. method for calculating percentage), students’ work displays.

 Capitalise on the ‘numeracy moments' that occur naturally in the classroom and throughout the school.

 Introduce ‘Problem of the Week’ on notice boards with a reward for those who solve it.

 Flexibility in teaching methods – recognise that ‘one’ method does not suit every student – some students will need an alternative method, others may be confused by it.

 Use differentiated resources and worksheets – a variety of materials that students can use depending on needs/interests