About this ebook
Despite being as common as dyslexia, much less research has been done on dyscalculia (also known as a math learning disability). Many educators are unsure how best to support students with dyscalculia, particularly when these students have challenges with foundational number concepts. This groundbreaking book offers a fresh, assets-based perspective on students with dyscalculia with an in-depth exploration of their mathematical thinking.
Through detailed examples, this book guides educators in understanding how to look and listen for the access barriers students may encounter and how to provide meaningful supports to help students navigate around these barriers. By taking this mathematical journey with your students, you will uncover their unique strengths, support them in navigating through barriers, and help them unlock their mathematical potential.
Features include:
- Detailed vignettes illustrating the specific difficulties students face with quantities and symbolic notation
- Practical assessment tools, including clinical interviews, to truly understand your students′ mathematical thinking
- Research-based instructional practices that blend student sense-making with vital access strategies
- Actionable guidance for partnering with families to support mathematics learning at home
By honoring neurodiversity through these practical strategies, you′ll create an inclusive environment where all your students can experience the joy of mathematical success.
About the author
Katie Lewis is an Associate Professor in the College of Education at the University of Washington. She is a researcher and educator who is fundamentally concerned with designing accessible educational contexts – particularly for students with disabilities. Her interest in dyscalculia grew out of her own experience being diagnosed with dyslexia when she was young and has informed her anti-deficit approach to understanding disability. In her research, she explores dyscalculia in authentic learning environments, evaluates the accessibility of instruction, and considers ways in which students may compensate. Over the past 20 years, she has worked predominantly with students with dyscalculia. In her work she attempts to understand the nature of their difficulties, honor their unique ways of thinking, and design instruction that is grounded in their access and sense making.
Amy Anderson is a Seattle-based online educational therapist who specializes in supporting neurodiverse students in math and executive functioning skills through individualized one-on-one support. Before working as an educational therapist, she taught fifth-grade math and science for a decade in University Place, Washington. Amy meets her students where they are and respects them as experts on their learning. As someone with dyslexia, she understands the importance of providing a welcoming, safe, and fun environment for her students to take risks, make mistakes without judgment, set goals, and learn to self-advocate. In recent years, she has collaborated with Katie on research exploring instructional practices effective for students with dyscalculia.
Dylan Lynn is an educational consultant, who specializes in students with dyscalculia. Her interest in dyscalculia grew out of her own experience being diagnosed with dyscalculia while she was completing her statistics degree at University of California, Berkeley. Because the only university accommodation she was offered was a math waiver (useless for a math major), she sought out support on her own. She connected with Katie, and they embarked upon a research collaboration spanning a decade. Their work aimed to understand both the inaccessibilities Dylan experienced as well as document the ways in which she had compensated up to that point. Dylan graduated with a statistics degree and went on to work as a data analyst for several years before turning her focus on education. She currently works as a dyscalculia consultant and advocate with a goal to provide teachers, students, and families the resources that she never had.
