“Mummy, I HATE maths! Why can’t I do it?” “It’s not you honey – it’s the way you’re being taught……. “
I remember saying this to my daughter when she was nine. How many parents feel the same way? I know many of you do. The thing is, we wait patiently knowing our children have maths everyday, and yes, it is going to take them longer to get there because of their disability….. right? Then before we know it, years have gone by, and how much progress has been made?
This blog was prompted by another parent who contacted me because her child hasn’t made any progress for many years and is now 14. The bottom line is we have to ask ourselves why it is that we want our children, who have a learning disability, to have basic maths understanding? Isn’t it ultimately to transfer this knowledge to learning about time and using money? Don’t we wish to put these vital skills in place in order that our children can take more control of their lives?
The DSA information guide highlights the following cognitive difficulties:
• Delayed fine and gross motor-skills
• Auditory and visual impairment
• Speech and language impairment
• Short-term auditory memory
• Limited concentration span
• Difficulties with thinking and reasoning, and applying knowledge
• Sequencing difficulties
I would add to this list, lack of spatial ability, long-term memory difficulties and concentration – short span. Simply put, the above systems represent our information processing functions that underpin all thinking and learning. Thus children with Down syndrome will have deficits in one, some or all of the above and are a crucial factor in the lack of progress with maths (and other subjects).
Concrete experiences
Little children learn from their concrete experiences of their world, through all of their senses. It is logical therefore, that they should continue their development with concrete teaching until they develop the ability to enable them to grasp abstract thought. The very foundation of numbers and mathematics is built on abstract concepts, so we should make this information visible and tactile because children need to arrive at the stage of intellectual and emotional readiness before they can grasp abstract concepts.
Learning to read – whole words first
Years ago children were first taught the alphabet, then words of two letters, then words of three letters, and so on, until after much labour, they eventually learned to read. It was considered quite revolutionary when someone pointed out that ‘whole’ words could be learned without any previous knowledge of the alphabet. This was the route that DownsEd and other professionals advocated to help our children learn to read. This was the method I used to teach my own daughter to read when she was three. The alphabet did not come into our teaching and learning until much later.
working with whole numbers
Learning whole numbers before units
We can see this same principle in the ideas and work of Dr Catherine Stern where she believed that it is easier and more in accordance with the child’s natural development, to learn ‘whole numbers’ before dealing with the units of which they are composed.
Stimulating cognitive processing functions
Structural Arithmetic
Cognitive processing is fundamental to all learning. I know I continue to allude to this in almost all of my posts with a maths focus, it’s because it is so important and because it is something that can get overlooked.
With Structural Arithmetic materials you can provide stimulation of every cognitive function on the above list, naturally every time you are playing the games within the Stern programme. This means every day in the maths lesson at school together with the drip-feed hoped for supporting this work at home! This stimulation is taking place alongside the building-up of your child’s number knowledge in this multi-sensory way. One of the consistent messages after a child begins to use the Stern programme, no matter what learning difference he or she may have, is that progress is seen with increased skill, number knowledge and cognitive processes in a single term.
Developing a sense of numbers
The first activities are specifically designed to develop a child’s sense of number from learning about number sizes and position – where numbers live in the series 1 to 10. As for cognitive stimulation, it would include scanning, judging and discrimination ability, visual and auditory perceptual processing, and memory.
Building the stair with blocks to 10, enables more practice with ordering the blocks – smallest to the biggest and in reverse order. This is providing more stimulation with sequencing, visual and auditory perceptual processing, memory.
The games and activities are motivational and engaging, thus concentration spans are increased.
Language practice
The role of the teacher
This is an important part of the learning, once the children understand how to perform a task, hitherto guided by the practitioner, h/she can take on this ‘teacher’ role demonstrated in the picture opposite. It is to encourage a child’s expressive language development. To be able to give instructions to other participants is a great way to practice emerging understanding and language.
This work is encouraging an understanding of both cardinal (quantity) and ordinal (order/position) aspects of number. Other activities will provide further opportunity to develop a sense of how two blocks of varying lengths combine to make 10, small blocks require bigger blocks and in reverse order, thus developing relational understanding.
As the names of the blocks are assigned, bond work begins as seen in the picture below.
number bonds
Each of the Stern maths devices is teaching and reinforcing number ideas, and is providing continuous stimulation of cognitive functions – scanning, judging sizes, position, sequencing, discrimination ability, working and long-term memory, visual and auditory perceptual processing. Language and concentration spans.
Working with, and internalising number patterns lays the foundation for addition and subtraction later on. The Pattern Boards will encourage cognitive growth. (Hand-eye co-ordination, one-to-one correspondence, left/right directionality). In the picture below we see children learning about the doubles.
Working with doubles
Throughout the programme children follow simple instructions that encourage receptive and expressive language. The size of the blocks, are specific to a child’s sensory motor development, continuous manipulation of the equipment increases fine-motor ability.
All round teaching and learning programmes
Stern programmes and teaching content can be found on www.mathsextra.com or contact 0044 (0)1747 861 503 for advice.
Obviously, more progress and development comes from regular use at home and at school. More and more schools are implementing the Stern programme. Contact us to see if your child’s school is one of them, or whether you would like us to contact them or provide any information. If you would like to chat about your child’s needs, I can be contacted on enquiries@mathsextra.com or on the above number.
Vikki Horner
Tags: concrete teaching, Down syndrome, Early years foundation, Education Psychologists, Education Psychology, Gestalt Psychology, Montessori, number work, nursery, SEN Learning Support Service, Structural Arithmetic
