The Resource Room

Math

Lessons and articles:

• My first Pencast! I got myself a LiveScribe Echo Pen. How to add fractions with different denominators (just procedure).
• Why Can't Students Get the Concept of Math?
  This article from the International Dyslexia Association Perspectives (whole issue in PDF below) describes three specific issues students often have with concepts and discusses why it's really not a good thing to let the confusion persist. This version includes my commentary. No, I don't know why she says "concept" and not "concepts."

• Spring 2011 IDA Perspectives: Dyslexia and Math
  (International Dyslexia Association - www.interdys.org )I often put sample articles from the IDA on my site; their new online format has made it much harder to do that to a single article, and searching the whole document for "permissions" and "copyright" yielded nothing, so I'm going to assume that they haven't changed their very generous "if you're a member [I am] -- permission to share!" policy. I'm not surprised that many of the descriptions of math difficulties are for students in general, not just those with "difficulties" with math.
  I put one of the articles up as HTML with my comments in green here
  

• HEre are a few examples of my first efforts using Camtasia:

• Introduction to integers - how can you *add* and end up with less? Let's have some coffee and find out.

• Adding Same Signed Integers - Or, why two negatives don't always make a positive.

• Adding Different Signed Integers - tug of war!

• Absolute Value Basics - How to be absolutely positive about absolute value.
  
  

• And the older stuff:

• Online Times Tables Practice

• Guidelines for understanding and practicing the times tables (4/2000).

• Multisensory Teaching: Positive and Negative Integers June, 2002. Lesson plans and ideas for making sense out of positive and negative numbers, including links to other resources.

• Using manipulatives in middle and secondary school math

• Dyslexia and Mathematics from Perspectives, Fall 1998

• The role of manipulatives in introducing and developing mathematical concepts in elementary and middle grades 5/86 by Susan Jones: analysis of research about using manipulatives to teach mathematical concepts.

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Links:

As with reading, there are many, many sites about math. Here are some with a multisensory flavor!

• National LIbrary of Virtual Manipulatives - many *excellent* manipulatives and activities... in need of integration and connection to language.

• Conceptua math - a product, but with some interesting visual tools and free resources for understanding the f-word - fractions, and Arjan Khalsa has this nifty youtube about music and fractions.

• Dreambox.com - another product, for K-3, but also has online games and some very non-procedural ideas.

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• Renee's Resources for a long time, just about the *only* website about math difficulties!

• Make your own manipulatives - how to make them and some fun activities at various levels

• AAA Math http://www.aaamath.com
  Lots and lots of practice with immediate feedback for many, many math computation skills

• "Fruity" Rounding - this is FUN! Uses the round cereal of your choice to teach the rounding procedure.

• Michele's Multiplication Tips - a great way to introduce and systematically teach the times tables so they will stick. The rest of this site is also worth exploring :-)

• How To Remember Multiplication and Division Facts: A workbook for adults Description of this book, available from New Wind Publishing.

• Multiplication: An Adventure in Number Sense - explanation of math facts and how they can be memorized more easily by understanding them. Lots of good tricks here!

• Generalising Whole Number Place Value Properties - a good explanation of the challenges of comprehending place value; ways to explain it and ways students can misinterpret the concept.

• The Number Line - These explanations of integers and absolute value are very verbal but lively and interesting. Could make the concepts "click" for some!

• http://www.funbrain.com/ Lots of math games here.

• Virtual Workshop" - this company provides many different kinds of manipulatives including Alge-tiles. The "workshops" are short and move quickly - much more quickly than the ideas would actually be taught, but there is enough information for the visitor tounderstand the principles behind the manipulatives.

• Tools for Understanding "A resource guide for extending mathematical understanding in secondary schools."

• A Difficult Child" This anecdote by a mathematics professor does not, sadly, describe an isolated phenomenon. He describes the essay as "a sad, true story of the consequences of math education in a local school system."
  

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