Dyscalculia Pocketbook

Book excerpt: Dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty that affects a person’s mathematical ability. It is estimated that around 6% of the population have dyscalculia, so in a typical classroom there is likely to be at least one dyscalculic learner. Research is ongoing, but we know that dyscalculia is a much deeper-rooted problem than just ‘being bad at maths’. This Pocketbook looks at the difficulties faced by pupils with dyscalculia and explores the support strategies that work. The author begins by summarising and explaining what we currently know about dyscalculia. Key indicators are described, along with various ways of screening and assessing to identify students with this SpLD. There’s a helpful chapter on ‘maths anxiety’ and a central practical section on teaching strategies that will help learners to work around the obstacles dyscalculia presents. Details of the three components of a mathematical idea and the six levels of learning - intuitive, concrete, pictorial, abstract, application and communication - provide good underpinning structure. Games that help develop number sense and the ten most effective classroom approaches are also covered. A final resource section and maths glossary complete the picture. As with all books in the Teachers’ Pocketbooks series, this is a practical, ‘how to’ guide, throughout which cartoons, diagrams and visual prompts support the text.