Math Tutoring for Children with Learning Disabilities (Part 4)
In the past several weeks, we have expounded on the advantages that math tutoring services will offer children that have learning disabilities. You have learned that math deficits are extremely common; however, they are not studied as diligently as deficits in other subjects, such as reading. One of the main complications that kids with learning disabilities have is the ability to retain facts about core conceptual number facts. You have also learned about basic computational weaknesses and how beneficial math tutoring services are for those children that experience these retention and computational weaknesses. This week, as we continue this series, we will expound on the symbol system and basic concrete-based materials. It can really help math tutoring for children with learning disabilities.
Written-Math Symbols
Children with learning disabilities that have problems with elementary school math often have a very strong understanding of informal-based math understanding. The problem is, they have an issue in contacting the knowledge that they have to the formal procedures associated with math, like the mathematical language, formal operations, and the symbolic-based notation systems associated with the subject. In order to understand the written-math symbols, kids with learning disabilities must be exposed to repeated experiences with many different types of concrete math materials. These experiences will aid in making the connection between what they know and what they see easier and more stable in their minds. Math tutoring services will aid in helping students in making these connections.
What Are Concrete Math Materials and How Do They Help?
Concrete math materials are those items which may be held by a student, moved, and grouped and/or separated by the student. Concrete math materials are vivid tools for teaching. Students that have learning disabilities are often considered to be kinesthetic learners; that is, they learn by doing, touching, and even seeing. According to research, it has been determined that concrete math materials are highly beneficial when it comes to the development of math concept understanding in the brain. Math tutors know and understand this. As a result, they use these types of math materials to aid students who are struggling with mathematics. Upon using concrete math materials, tutors find that the kids develop precise and mental-based representations of the complex symbols of the subject.
Conclusion
There are many different math subjects that may be taught by math tutoring services that utilize concrete math materials. Examples of these include number relations, the place value of numbers, basic computation skills, money skills, basic geometry, measurements, probability, fractions, and algebraic concepts. These concrete math materials are not standalone teaching agents. They must be used in conjunction with the repeated explanations and the continual demonstrations by those that provide math tutoring services. The guidance provided by tutors and the repeated student interactions offered through math tutoring services will allow a student with a learning disability to fully grasp the written aspects of mathematics. If you would like to learn more about the tutoring services that we currently provide to families like yours, visit us today by clicking HERE.
