GPSY 662 Learning Disabilities

Summer 2015

LEARNING DISABILITIES AND

MATHEMATICS- CASE 17
Emtinan Alqurashi
Elif Gokbel
Kimberly Sumpter
Tasnem Alarbi

Background

Name: Brianna (Female)

Age: 9 years-old
Grade: 3
Was born full term
Resides with both parents and her older sister
No history of learning disabilities in the family
Happy, loving, and caring child who enjoys music
and sports, her mother reports

Educational History
Attended pre-kindergarten, was absent for
26 days
In kindergarten, she was reported as not
mastering early benchmark skills in
mathematics
Received numerous interventions for
language arts and mathematics in first grade

Disabilities (teachers observation)

Brianne
- has extremely weak number sense
- has difficulty reading hundreds chart
- often transposes numbers
- struggles to count forward and backward from points on
number line
- is lacking many basic numeric concepts and number
identification skills
- has not met most third grade benchmark standards in
math but in fact her skills were on a first grade level

Disabilities (test results)

-

Perceptual reasoning
Number sense
knowledge of basic number relationship
two-digit computation problems
single-digit multiplication or division
multiple-choice tasks
spatial working memory tasks

Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS)

Overview:
pairing students based on needs & abilities
monitoring performance & correct use of PALS, providing
specific, regular & constructive feedback & praise
changing pairs regularly
teaching PALS rules:
1) Be nice & helpful
2) Only talk about PALS & Math
3) Use your soft PALS voice

Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (cont.)

PALS Coach & Player Activity:
- students use game boards (kindergarten & 1st grade) or
worksheets (grades 2-6)
- coach uses a sheet containing questions that guide the player
- coaching lasts 15-20 minutes
- student uses mixed-problem practice worksheet that include
the problem type student just worked on & easier types of
problems. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeAjkTbyZyk
- students do independent 5-10 minutes practice
- students exchange & score the practice sheets

Assistive Technology: Dream Box Learning

Supplemental online mathematics program
adaptive instruction for students in grades K5
focuses on number and operations, place value, and
number sense
individualized instruction
(Tier I, II, and III)
a range of instructional settings
NCTM&common core standards

Program Details
more than 720 online lessons
playing math games and solving puzzles using
DreamBox Learnings virtual manipulatives
Reporting tools for monitoring
student progress

Research: The effectiveness of Dream Box

11 studies that investigated the effects of DreamBox
Learning on the math performance of elementary school
students
Wang and Woodworths (2011) study:
o 557 kindergarten and first grade students
o intervention vs. comparison group
o significant positive effect on mathematics achievement

An example

http://www.dreambox.com

Multiplication area model

Concrete-Representational-Abstract
Ensure students develop a tangible understanding
of math concepts/skills they learned
Hands-on materials (concrete)
Pictorial representation (representational)
Mathematical problems with numbers and symbols
(abstract)
o

Important: Make sure you run through each stage

https://youtu.be/4Go-jM9fDLg?t=25s

Strategies/Programs

Model
Use manipulatives
Use pictures
Use number lines
Games
Camelot Learning
Program

http://www.camelotlearning.com/

Materials

number line
dice
calculators
unifix cubes
beads
string
tangrams
geared clocks

Conclusion
Peer Assisted Learning
+
Assistive Technology
+
Concrete-Representational- Abstract
=
Success for Brianna in math!

References
Wang, H., & Woodworth, K. (2011). Evaluation of Rocketship Educations use of DreamBox Learnings online
mathematics program. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International. Retrieved from
http://www.rogersfoundation.org/system/resources/0000/0013/Rocketship_SRI_Study.pdf
Powell, S., & Seethaler, P. (2011). Intervention Name: Concrete-Representational-Abstract. Retrieved June 24, 2015,
from http://ebi.missouri.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/EBI-Brief-Template-Concrete-Representational-Abstract.pdf
Concrete and Abstract Representations (Using Mathematical Tools). (2008, November 24). Retrieved June 24, 2015,
from https://mathteachingstrategies.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/concrete-and-abstract-representations-usingmathematical-tools/
http://www.blueprintsprograms.com/evaluationAbstracts.php?pid=83a002e8ffbe10a8e5bfd289b565b247092a9b70