Dyscalculia and Algebra

[Heathermomster]

I'm curious to know, what have you used to teach algebra to your dyscalculiac, 2e high school student? Are there any btdt moms floating around?  I expect we will cover algebra 9th and 10th grade.  

 

So far, DS and I are mainly reviewing the algebraic properties, integers, order of operations, and solving one variable equations.  We've flirted with abs value and exponents.  I have not used an algebra text.  I've only used some MUS pre-alg and a standard McDougal-Littell pre-alg text supplemented with HOE, c-rods, area model, and legos.  

 

Thank-you, 

h

 

[Trilliums]

Have you tried Khan academy?  Kids seem to have a love it or hate it reaction.    It was incredibly helpful for my younger son.

 

[Heathermomster]

I was hoping to hear of a specific math curriculum.  Any takers?  Thank-you..

[Jann in TX]

Humm... very few students with dyscalculia are able to advance to the level of 'Algebra'. Most will stay under the 4th grade level (if it is true dyscalculia) their whole lives.

If your student is aproaching Algebra and has a variant of dyscalculia then I would strongly suggest a program that works with the way your student learns best. 

From your description it looks like your ds is 'hands on'... I'd progress to something like the Key to Algebra series-- and keep up the manipulatives as much as possible.

 

It has been years since I have used them-- but there is a product called 'Algebra Tiles'-- that is a manipulative that helps with algebraic thinking.

 

After the Key to Algebra series I would move into MUS Algebra 1.  If your son is able to work that at a statisfactory pace (1-2 years) then I'd move to a basic Geometry or Algebra 2.  If Algebra 1 has not been mastered at a 'standard level' after the second year I would suggest pulling back and working on life-skills math and coping strategies.

 

I have had a few students with dyscalculia who were able to progress to Pre-Algebra-- then they focused on life-skills and computer use.

 

HTH

[Emerald Stoker]

Would a consumable book be useful for your student? Have you seen Christy Walters's Algebra: A Fresh Approach? (I haven't seen it myself, but there seem to be several reviews and some samples on her website.)

http://www.aplusses.com/zencart/textbooks-c-1.html

 

Good luck--I hope you find something you both like.

[Emerald Stoker]

Heathermomster, I've been browsing around a couple of other things that I thought I'd pass on, in case your student prefers hands-on work:

 

-Henri Picciotto has an interesting math education website. I've used some of his geometry lab activities with middle-schoolers; he also has an algebra textbook that uses manipulatives (I haven't used this one): http://www.mathedpage.org/manipulatives/lab-gear.html

Some of that material was incorporated into a textbook he wrote later: http://www.mathedpage.org/attc/index.html Those books are available free online.

 

-I also found these algebra modules from Georgetown; I had only a cursory look at them, but they might be worth a peek, perhaps?

http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/sandefur/handsonmath/download.htm

 

[Heathermomster]

Heathermomster, I've been browsing around a couple of other things that I thought I'd pass on, in case your student prefers hands-on work:

 

-Henri Picciotto has an interesting math education website. I've used some of his geometry lab activities with middle-schoolers; he also has an algebra textbook that uses manipulatives (I haven't used this one): http://www.mathedpage.org/manipulatives/lab-gear.html

Some of that material was incorporated into a textbook he wrote later: http://www.mathedpage.org/attc/index.html Those books are available free online.

 

-I also found these algebra modules from Georgetown; I had only a cursory look at them, but they might be worth a peek, perhaps?

http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/sandefur/handsonmath/download.htm

Awesome.  Thank-you so much..

[Emerald Stoker]

I had one more idea, this one oriented primarily toward visual learners, perhaps. There's a series of mostly programming books called the Head First Labs.  They also have some other books (physics, geometry, statistics, and algebra); there's a one-chapter sample and the table of contents for the algebra book here: http://www.headfirstlabs.com/books/hfalg/

 

 

[Heathermomster]

Humm... very few students with dyscalculia are able to advance to the level of 'Algebra'. Most will stay under the 4th grade level (if it is true dyscalculia) their whole lives.

If your student is aproaching Algebra and has a variant of dyscalculia then I would strongly suggest a program that works with the way your student learns best. 

From your description it looks like your ds is 'hands on'... I'd progress to something like the Key to Algebra series-- and keep up the manipulatives as much as possible.

 

It has been years since I have used them-- but there is a product called 'Algebra Tiles'-- that is a manipulative that helps with algebraic thinking.

 

After the Key to Algebra series I would move into MUS Algebra 1.  If your son is able to work that at a statisfactory pace (1-2 years) then I'd move to a basic Geometry or Algebra 2.  If Algebra 1 has not been mastered at a 'standard level' after the second year I would suggest pulling back and working on life-skills math and coping strategies.

 

I have had a few students with dyscalculia who were able to progress to Pre-Algebra-- then they focused on life-skills and computer use.

 

HTH

 

This helps very much.

 

DS definitely has a maths disability.  His issues are mostly processing speed and procedures, so we use math mnemonics a lot.  

 

I've been wondering whether purchasing more algebra specific manipulatives would be worth the expense.  I haven't located any Algebra Tiles but found these and this free paper alternative.

 

I'd written off MUS as I dislike the way Demme introduces and uses math language.  I will revisit MUS.  Thank-you..

[OneStepAtATime]

I started digging through what I have and what I have liked and thought I would add some to the suggestions.  I don't know if any of the below would actually help, though, since I have not yet used them with the kids (just looked at them myself).  But I purchased them  a while back to get familiar with them after several people recommended them and they all look very good so I thought I would mention them.  I intend to use at least the tiles and one of the textbooks with DS when the time comes and will probably try the tiles and maybe one of the textbooks with DD.  Since she has the much greater math issues I don't know yet how she will do.  So far, though, I have liked all of them very much.  Maybe someone who has actually used them with kids that struggle in math could comment...

 

This is the book and the algebra tiles that I purchased.  I have not used them much with the kids yet but a friend recommended them and has felt they were helpful for her child with math issues (no official diagnosis of dyscalculia, though).

 

http://www.amazon.com/Working-Algebra-Tiles-Grades-6-12/dp/1583242171/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1396014102&sr=8-3&keywords=algebra+tiles

 

Have you looked at the Prentice Hall version of the Foersters textbook with the Math Without Borders DVD?

http://www.amazon.com/Foerster-Algebra-1-Classics-Edition/dp/0131657089/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396014334&sr=8-1&keywords=foerster+algebra+1

http://mathwithoutborders.com/

 

I also have Harold Jacobs' Elementary Algebra and like it, too...

http://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Algebra-Harold-R-Jacobs/dp/0716710471/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1P3X5QQZNCY3BDPBG5GW

I was using this to help Mom understand Algebra better (me too) but we both ended up needing to do the Key to Series for fractions and decimals first...I will probably do the same with DD.  Let her do her normal curriculum, but also put her through the Key to Series to really solidify basics before attempting to tackle Pre-Algebra and Algebra.

 

Anyway, since I have seen these in particular mentioned several times on these boards and I own them and have liked what I see, I thought I would add them to the list.

 

If you find something that works, I am all ears.  :)

Best wishes.

[Tokyomarie]

This helps very much.

 

DS definitely has a maths disability.  His issues are mostly processing speed and procedures, so we use math mnemonics a lot.  

 

I've been wondering whether purchasing more algebra specific manipulatives would be worth the expense.  I haven't located any Algebra Tiles but found these and this free paper alternative.

 

I'd written off MUS as I dislike the way Demme introduces and uses math language.  I will revisit MUS.  Thank-you..

 

I used Borenson's Hands On Equations with two of my children to help them learn to think algebraically. Both of them also went through Keys to Algebra.

 

My son could not use any textbook or non-auditory computer-based curriculum (such as ALEKS) effectively. He HAD to have (and still HAS to have) auditory input keyed to demonstration on paper/whiteboard or a virtual whiteboard in order for anything to sink in. Tabletclass is one curriculum that actually worked for him. For my daughter, it was Teaching Textbooks.

 

The hardest leap for my son to make (other than developing automaticity in math facts) was learning how to organize his thinking for multi-step problems and to represent that thinking symbolically. The only thing that really helped was a full year of working with him on the process of writing each and every step and each and every character within a step to solve these problems. For a long time, I served as his scribe. He had to verbalize literally every number and character to me before I would write it down. As I scribed while he dictated, he could see the steps to the solution appear on the paper. Gradually, I transferred the writing process to him, scaffolding it so he was starting with a small responsibility and, little by little, writing more of each solution himself.

 

I also continued to do a lot of work with factoring and fractions- often using a whiteboard for practice as well as a fraction pie manipulative set I bought in Japan years ago- as we were doing early algebra work because reducing fractions (both with numbers and variables) was challenging.

 

Don't worry about taking as long as you need to get all those pre-algebra and early algebra concepts down. My son started out ahead in math but took a very.long.time to get through Algebra I. I fretted over whether he would ever get back on track, but he is now in Calc III at the community college.

[CyndiLJ]

Humm... very few students with dyscalculia are able to advance to the level of 'Algebra'. Most will stay under the 4th grade level (if it is true dyscalculia) their whole lives.

If your student is aproaching Algebra and has a variant of dyscalculia then I would strongly suggest a program that works with the way your student learns best. 

From your description it looks like your ds is 'hands on'... I'd progress to something like the Key to Algebra series-- and keep up the manipulatives as much as possible.

 

It has been years since I have used them-- but there is a product called 'Algebra Tiles'-- that is a manipulative that helps with algebraic thinking.

 

After the Key to Algebra series I would move into MUS Algebra 1.  If your son is able to work that at a statisfactory pace (1-2 years) then I'd move to a basic Geometry or Algebra 2.  If Algebra 1 has not been mastered at a 'standard level' after the second year I would suggest pulling back and working on life-skills math and coping strategies.

 

I have had a few students with dyscalculia who were able to progress to Pre-Algebra-- then they focused on life-skills and computer use.

 

HTH

 

 

Thanks for posting this.  Though we have not had testing because it seems pointless with a child for whom this is so obvious, we definitely have a Dyscalculic daughter.  Your first sentence was so validating for me, as I have struggled to figure out what, at 14 years old, is an appropriate expectation for her future with math.  We are STILL reviewing things like place value, and it is clear she will never be able to fully picture math in her head.  Timelines are awful, the clock is painfully challenging, and there is a time to accept what will be and work with it.  From what I see at this stage, 4th -5th grade basic math fundamentals will be all she is capable of doing.  We are pounding those fundamentals as I want her to be as strong in them as she can be, but reading this helped me instantly relax a little.  

 

We are doing an AGS text in basic math, along with TT6th (which is really more like 5th) and then I am moving on to consumer math for practice.  She can't get it, and not accepting that only hurts her.  She's a strong student in every other way, and I sort of see my job now as to help her move forward in appropriate ways, not force what she is clearly incapable of or make her feel as if she is dumb because she has a learning disability.

 

We laugh as we joke about her future and clearly, being an accountant doesn't figure into that equation!

[FairProspects]

I used Borenson's Hands On Equations with two of my children to help them learn to think algebraically. Both of them also went through Keys to Algebra.

 

My son could not use any textbook or non-auditory computer-based curriculum (such as ALEKS) effectively. He HAD to have (and still HAS to have) auditory input keyed to demonstration on paper/whiteboard or a virtual whiteboard in order for anything to sink in. Tabletclass is one curriculum that actually worked for him. For my daughter, it was Teaching Textbooks.

 

The hardest leap for my son to make (other than developing automaticity in math facts) was learning how to organize his thinking for multi-step problems and to represent that thinking symbolically. The only thing that really helped was a full year of working with him on the process of writing each and every step and each and every character within a step to solve these problems. For a long time, I served as his scribe. He had to verbalize literally every number and character to me before I would write it down. As I scribed while he dictated, he could see the steps to the solution appear on the paper. Gradually, I transferred the writing process to him, scaffolding it so he was starting with a small responsibility and, little by little, writing more of each solution himself.

 

I also continued to do a lot of work with factoring and fractions- often using a whiteboard for practice as well as a fraction pie manipulative set I bought in Japan years ago- as we were doing early algebra work because reducing fractions (both with numbers and variables) was challenging.

 

Don't worry about taking as long as you need to get all those pre-algebra and early algebra concepts down. My son started out ahead in math but took a very.long.time to get through Algebra I. I fretted over whether he would ever get back on track, but he is now in Calc III at the community college.

 

Bumping because this is so ds. He is really struggling with those pinnacle type arithmetic concepts like - long division, unit/measurement conversions, multiplying & dividing fractions & decimals, etc. What type of program worked the best to help get those down without making the student hate it? Ds just states that part of math. It is so frustrating for him because he loves problem solving and I hate to see him get so down about arithmetic.

 

[GoodGrief]

We never got a diagnosis for my older daughter, but she seems to have a math disability of some sort...reversing numbers, difficulty following a line of music, that sort of thing.  Math took a lot of effort, but she did make it quite far despite the difficulties.  Teaching Textbooks worked pretty well for her. 

[Catherine]

For anyone who is starting out, or even if you're not, I can't say enough good about RightStart when it comes to math for the very, very reluctant. : )

 

It is a very manipulative-based program, and moves incrementally through early arithmetic, with the goal being *conceptual understanding*.

 

RS moved my son from being a child who dissolved in tears at the IDEA of math, to a kid (at 13) who actually enjoys math, and more importantly, has a really deep grasp of math conceptually. He still does not enjoy automaticity, and honestly probably never will, but he can solve problems in multiple ways, he really understands fractions, and can do some word problems! Yay!

 

So I will continue to proselytize for RS. : )

[Mimi50]

I realize this thread was started nine years ago. Since I am an adult with dyscalculia. Who graduated from high school in 1991. I took two years of basic special education math. I am very lucky in that I had no difficulty telling time. Was able to memorize my multiplication tables through the 9’s. My son Joshua is 25 years old now and was always math wiz. By the time he was in 3rd grade in public school. I couldn’t help him anymore. It always bothered me and felt that I was dumb. So I am 50 years old and trying my best to improve. My math skills. I bought Learn Math Fast Level 1. I am not only enjoying it a lot. Now I realize math can be fun. It is something I can do. If you child like myself. Just go slow the most important thing is that they have the basics down. If they go on to community college and math scores are low. See if they will wave the math requirement for their degree. Please know your child’s struggles are not your fault. They are wired like I am so it takes them longer to process numbers. I apologize for any punctuation and grammar mistakes. Unfortunately I language learning disabilities also.

[Mimi50]

On 3/26/2014 at 6:58 PM, Jann in TX said:

Humm... very few students with dyscalculia are able to advance to the level of 'Algebra'. Most will stay under the 4th grade level (if it is true dyscalculia) their whole lives.

If your student is aproaching Algebra and has a variant of dyscalculia then I would strongly suggest a program that works with the way your student learns best. 

From your description it looks like your ds is 'hands on'... I'd progress to something like the Key to Algebra series-- and keep up the manipulatives as much as possible.

 

It has been years since I have used them-- but there is a product called 'Algebra Tiles'-- that is a manipulative that helps with algebraic thinking.

 

After the Key to Algebra series I would move into MUS Algebra 1.  If your son is able to work that at a statisfactory pace (1-2 years) then I'd move to a basic Geometry or Algebra 2.  If Algebra 1 has not been mastered at a 'standard level' after the second year I would suggest pulling back and working on life-skills math and coping strategies.

 

I have had a few students with dyscalculia who were able to progress to Pre-Algebra-- then they focused on life-skills and computer use.

 

HTH

You are right. But as an adult with dyscalculia. There are very basic workbooks in Pre-Algebra from 3rd-5th grade. That would give students like myself. Sense of accomplishment as far as feeling. Advanced math was possible. Kumon sells Geometry and Measurement workbooks. From 3rd-5th grade also.