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Dyslexia Tutoring Advice


mom31257
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Is the student taking any anti-anxiety meds?  Depending upon the severity of their math issues, meds could help.  I'm curious to know whether the GED can be accommodated for extra time.  The student should pursue that.  

 

For teaching and understanding the process of math, the book How the Brain Learns Mathematics by Sousa has been tremendous. That book totally changed my approach to working with DS.  RB's book Overcoming Difficulties with Number is awesome and I totally recommend it.  

 

I would print up some 1/2" graph paper printed in light gray and use manipulatives from MUS, Base 10 blocks, and HOE.  I prefer MUS because you can flip the blocks over and automatically demonstrate a negative number.  The GED allows only one very specific Casio calculator so your student should acquire one.  I'd also get a copy of a GED Math practice test so that you know what you are aiming for. Use a portable white board while teaching and keep a set of colored pencils nearby.  Maybe keep a 10 x 10 pre-printed multiplication card at the ready.

 

Always keep in mind that dyslexics suffer with working memory deficits and many rely upon their strong visual memory.  After a time and if multiplication facts remain a problem, you may need to use something like this.  Work slowly and cover one concept per learning episode.  Multi-procedural problem solving can be a nightmare so you will need to explore more non-traditional approaches to problem solving and use math mnemonics.  

 

Understand that these students often respond quickly to problems using faulty heuristic math methods so they really need to slow down and apply their new learning while working math problems.  You should sit with the student and monitor their work and catch them gently if a mistake occurs because you don't want them practicing mistakes. You may also need to scribe for them, which allows them to focus and verbalize the math.  I can't think of anything else at the moment.  The RB book mentioned above should take you far with your student.

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I almost wonder if he doesn't have test anxiety so much as it's just harder to read test questions because they're too short to be able to pull context clues...  

 

(DS has dyslexia and while his comprehension is pretty high with larger passages, he tends to do poorly on typical tests because he doesn't have enough text to be able to make some mistakes)

 

Does the GED exam allow modifications like reading the test to them?

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Use graph paper to keep places straight.

 

We also color code operations, particularly in longer step problems.

 

Have him write down or you scribe for him every single step. Many dyslexics get lost in organizing their thoughts and get flustered even though they were on the right track when problem solving.

 

Expect problems with procedural topics - long division, unit conversions, rounding, etc. Anything where convention has decided a procedure might be a problem to remember.

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What accommodations does he have? My dd is allowed extra time and a calculator anytime she needs it. If he is allowed calculator use, that will solve a lot of problems. Graph paper can be very useful to line up and keep columns straight. (Dd still has trouble not jumping into the right column.) My dd is another who has a horrible time memorizing basic facts. You may also encounter a slower processing speed than you are used to dealing with. It can be hard to give enough time for the student to answer before you start jumping in with an explanation. Just try to really slow yourself down to their pace. In math, dd really runs into trouble with word problems. She just cannot figure out exactly what is being asked. Learning to draw pictures for the problems can help. 

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GED allows calculator on part of math for everyone so far as I know: getting him very comfortable and capable with the exact calculator that is allowed on test would be important. Check with the official testers for what calculator to practice with. He may or may not be able to get to use a calculator on the other part--dyslexia does not necessarily imply any problem with math, and so a calculator may or may not be considered a reasonable accommodation. Also, for some questions a calculator probably won't even be a help.

 

There are a lot of word problems, I think, so see if he can read the word problems or will need an accommodation of having them read, if that is possible.

 

Learning how to read, and set up and solve the word problems would be the most helpful thing for a dyslexic student, I would think. And going through a GED study book to see if there are topics he has missed and needs to learn now also, or topics he is weak in.

 

He may be able to get extra time on the test, so an emphasis on being able to solve the problems well, even if it takes a little longer would take priority over trying to be as fast as possible.

 

Doing a lot of practice tests and getting good at them as well as learning focus and  relaxation procedures may help with test anxiety.

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Thanks, everyone! The tutoring service I work for bought a brand new GED prep book, and it has the information about the calculator. It looks like the test must be given online and the calculator is an online version but works the same. I'm anxious to meet him and get to know him. I am going into this knowing nothing about him or his accommodations, etc.  

 

 

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Our first meeting went well as far as getting to know each other and meshing well; however, I don't know if I can help him pass the GED. He has multiple problems (vision problems, tracking issues, memory/recall issues, etc.). His mother said he will have some accommodations like a much bigger screen. He gets tired easy and his eyes can give him more trouble, so I'm hoping he won't have time constraints. I don't think he has a current IEP, though. The vision help will be from a letter from his eye doctor. 

 

He's had a math tutor since he was 9, but she can no longer do it because of a promotion at work. I've asked to contact her and get some more information on strategies which have helped. We did whole number operations today, and he had to count for most simple operations. 

 

 

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Sounds like a lot more going on than dyslexia. How many years do you have to work with him?

 

Maybe you can teach him finger math or something.

 

I agree that I think it is much more than just that one problem. He is 17, which means he hasn't progressed far since age 9, and he wants to take the test next May. I tutor though an outside service, so they know I've never tutored a student with these kinds of problems. The director has concerns over us being able to help him, and I think she'll be up front about it. 

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First recommendation I would make would be for them to seek more accommodations. I wonder if his eye doctor could recommend extra time due to eye fatigue? It is possible that it might not make a difference. He might need breaks during testing. I wonder if that is allowed. If possible, have him use the same online calculator in the same manner he would during testing (can you even get this information!). I hate online calculators being thrown at students. There is a learning curve just in using them. 

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