[SENco-forum] Maths

We teach 11 and 12 as a way in to show how to do long multiplication and
long division using results the students can prove easily for
themselves.
They still have to do this pen and paper method up to GCSE when one
paper is non-calculator.

The same s for finding fractional amounts of things, applying division
and multiplication again

Susie Pinder
Learning Access Director
(yr 7 lesson today is Long division - no calculators, mxd ability as
still not set)

-----Original Message-----
From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of SEN
Marketing
Sent: 24 September 2007 12:11
To: SEN at tringham.net; 'Becta Senco'
Subject: RE: [SENco-forum] Maths - but not as we know it[Scanned]

A wonderfully clear explanation.  

But why are schools required, in the decimal era, to teach the 11 and 12
times tables?  

I regularly calculate sums using fives and tens and occasionally use
sums
from other tables, but I can't remember when I last used the 12 let
alone
the 11 times tables.

Colin

SEN Marketing.

-----Original Message-----
From: senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk
[mailto:senco-forum-bounces at lists.becta.org.uk] On Behalf Of
SEN at tringham.net
Sent: 24 September 2007 09:38
To: Becta Senco
Subject: RE: [SENco-forum] Maths - but not as we know it

Dyscalculia is the inability to see/feel number.  Apparently babies can
differentiate between random or clustered dots in small numbers whereas
those with dys can't. There is no difference in 'odd' or 'even' for them
and
if coupled with left/right, up/down or bigger/smaller, sequencing issues
whether  abc or 123, or chuck in the dyslexic favourite the reversal of
2/5
or 9/P and you have real problems.

 Estimating is another skill that is usually missing and has to be
explicitly taught.  Just as some cannot see if a spelling is right or
wrong,
others cannot see if an answer is not only right/wrong but even in the
right
ball park. How can you guess how many dots when 5 6 7 8 9 dots all look
the
same and even if you think there is less than 10 which one is less than
7
when you cannot work up or down.

 Which number is bigger    2 or 5 ?   Neither they are both the same
size
(ARIAL 12) and that is how some children see number.  Using 'more than'
won't help either without lots of input.

Even on a good day most of the pupils I have seen (with likely dyslexia
or
STM problems) break down at 'f' in the alphabet in line with the seven
items
a brain should be able to hold momentarily before 'dropping' one (or
more) -
so counting to 10 is not bad. The worse the auditory or visual memory
the
worse the problem. With dyscalculia who knows - jury still out on what
it is
& what causes it.

On the positive side I made some dot pattern pairs (some free work
sheets
are on the internet), worked with dice and dominoes to try and anchor
the
name to the number and give it some sort of feel.  We played estimating
games. All these lower level skills that I had assumed had been learned
or
acquired automatically were missing even though the student was Y6.

For him we were trying to complete a multiplication square. He put in
the
known ones (0 1 2 3 -with difficulty- 5 10 11) then we reversed facts to
complete 8x 2 as well as 2 x8. This left a messy block of 6,7,8,9 that
we
used finger manipulation for i.e. 9 times, but also 6,7 + 8's)
Confidence
growing we moved onto 12's.  We learned 5x 12= 60 and 10x12 =120 then
looked
at the start point of 1x12 =12and that the units were alternate (not
even)
2 4 6 8 and the tens were sequential 1234 until the learned 5x12=60
before
starting again 72,84 96 108 to 120.  That left 2 to learn by memory or
finger counting on.

It is important to make sure the early skills are in place as bright
children with problems will come unstuck - just further down the line.
Currently wrestling with decimal place - all that going left or going
right,
and I am not looking forward to fractions!

As for the boy who can only count from 1 it is probably because he as
always
had numbers counted to him starting from one.   Counting on (or back) is
really hard for those with dyscalculia.  Play games help them not to
count
the square they are standing on as '1', but to move to the next square
and
count from there.  We saw my daughter demonstrate this inability to
count on
as a small child, but we never thought it would cause any problems, just
that she was a bit 'dappy'.  When faced with a number line that should
have
helped her she did the same thing and thus couldn't count on.  For
someone
with a 135 IQ you would think the problem was not insurmountable, but
dyscalculia is no respecter of brain power!

Even eventually overcoming this she could transfer new info elsewhere
so
although 5+6 =11 it was no help to her when trying to work out 15 +6 !
mental math just caused a mental breakdown.  The teacher said  17 + 9
and
she heard  'La la la   blerp doop' thus demonstrating nicely the APD
aspects
that she also has.  It was probably more frustrating than the aspects of
visual based dyslexia that we wrestling with another daughter in that
there
were no teachers clued into the math angle.  They could not fix what
they
could not see.  On recently has there been lots of info on math being
affected by APD and or dyslexia or the newer dyscalculia ( and yes it is
possible to have either, both or all three!)

Good news is that she has just scrapped a C at GCSE, but for those
without
the high IQ for extra support the outlook is grim unless the right
strategies are in place.  There are a couple of good books out there on
dyscalculia (full of strategies) and like APD/dyslexia strategies they
usually  work for those with GLD as well (they just get it quicker!)
Try
these:

Butterworth,B & Yeo, D (2004) Dyscalculia Guidance -helping pupils with
specific learning difficulties in math LONDON:NferNelson Publishing
Company
Limited

Butterworth B, (2004b) Everybody Counts but not everyone understands
numbers
Extracted from the annual Joint British Academy/British Psychological
Society lecture 16 November 2004 [online]
http://www.britac.ac.uk/pubs/review/_pdfs/09/06-butterworth.pdf.

DfES (1997-2007)  Mathematics, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Frequently
Asked
Questions
Q2: How do I recognise a child who has dyscalculia? What are the
symptoms
and how does this differ from dyslexia with numbers? [online]
http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/primary/faqs/inclusion/56233/#56734

Sharon Tringham

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