A student with dyslexia who is confused by typical math instruction can excel when instructed in a way that always shows the big picture first, uses visual-spatial images, and examines directly how the parts are connected to the whole. This program is quite different from how most of us were taught math, and it is different from most modern curriculum approaches, as well. Number sense is developed by establishing a robust understanding of quantities so that their values may be compared. The methodology to be presented enables such comparison by limiting demands on language processing, working memory, and executive function skills.
Learning and memory research tells us that multisensory integration is absolutely vital for children who have learning difficulties, as well as the best way to teach all students. Experiential, gross-motor activities provide a powerful approach to interact with recognizable whole-to-part visual models. Students develop language skills necessary to describe math concepts and relationships as they perceive and process them. Simply put, students take patterns apart, then reassemble them while describing the process. Various games and activities involving both fine and gross motor skills will be demonstrated, and supported with free online materials.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Access and download online materials from the WoodinMath website for classroom use
- Demonstrate how to prompt a student to produce oral addition and subtraction facts using a visual, or tactile-kinesthetic prompt
- Demonstrate how to prompt a student to perform a regrouping step using patterns of base ten manipulatives
- Assess whether a student is functionally fluent within a given addition fact family
