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Sarah Hillier
EDUC 5433: Elementary Math Methods
Table of Contents
Annotated Bibliography
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Base-ten blocks
Dice
Fraction Factory Pieces
Geoboards
Canadian Money
14
Padlet
SmartBoard Activity
iPad Instructional Applications
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Abstract: Students with autism often have difficulties obtaining functional mathematics
skills in a traditional mathematics classroom. These problems may arise due to
difficulties in cognitive or language processing, a strong preference for routines and
resistance to change, a lack of overall engagement in the traditional classroom, and a
preference for visual over auditory-based instruction. Research conducted on improving
the experience of autistic students in the math classroom is limited and is often done on
very small groups of individuals. Nevertheless, I have examined five articles that present
promising research on this topic and possible next steps. Engaging and promoting all
learners in the classroom is extremely important and as educators, we must inform
ourselves in order to do so.
Burton, C., Anderson, D., Prater, M., & Dyches, T. (2013). Video Self-Modeling on an
iPad to Teach Functional Math Skills to Adolescents With Autism and
Intellectual Disability. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities,
28(2), 6777.
In this article, researchers employed the technique of video self-modeling (VSM). In
using VSM, students watch themselves perform a certain task or behaviour on video.
This can be done using a TV, computer, etc. basically any device that records and/or
plays back videos. The researchers who conducted this study were interested in finding
out if conducting VSM using a hand-held iPad would increase the participants
percentage of correct responses to mathematics-based questions. The study was
completed on four male students (3 with autism, 1 with an intellectual disability). The
results that they obtained from the study suggest that VSM using an iPad is a highly
effective instructional tool and does help to increase functional mathematics skills. The
researchers also state the VSM increased participants level of independence in solving
math problems. While further students would need to be completed on a larger sample
size, this study denotes a promising future for the use of VSM using an iPad for teaching
functional mathematics skills.
Cihak, D., & Foust, J. (2008). Comparing Number Lines and Touch Points to Teach
Addition Facts to Students With Autism. Focus on Autism and Other
Developmental Disabilities, 23(3), 131137.
In this article, the researchers taught single-digit addition and problem solving skills to
three elementary students on the autism spectrum using number and touch-point
strategies. They argue that functional mathematical skills are frequently underdeveloped
in students with autism due to ineffective or inadequate instructional techniques. They
state that autistic students learn mathematics best through extensive feedback, explicit
instruction, and a lot of drilling and practice. The touch-point strategy to instruction
allows students to use the dot-like system to represent the numbers that they are
computing. In their study, the authors found that the students exposed to this strategy
were able to answer 100% of the questions in the question set posed to them when using
the touch-point strategy. Their ability to solve single-digit addition problems increased to
an average score of 72% when using touch-points as opposed to a 17% when using
number lines. While this study exhibits some promising results, the fact that there were
only three participants, who received individualized and explicit instruction, must be
taken into account. Once again, more research will have to be done on this method to
determine its generalizability and implications for instructional modification.
The author of this article states that autism is a developmental personality disorder, not an
illness. This article examines the mathematical success of individuals with a form of mild
autism, Aspergers syndrome. Individuals with Aspergers syndrome often have very
distinctive symptoms, but also sometimes possess increased mathematical capacities. Not
all autistic students are good at math, but autistic individuals with high intelligence can
excel greatly in the fields of math and science. They tend to be very creative, curious, and
have a compulsion to understand the world around them. The author of the article also
states that math can be a form of expression for an autistic individual who may have an
otherwise difficult time expressing him or herself. I believe that this article shines a light
on the link between more mild forms of autism (Aspergers) and the connection to math
genius. It does not, however, offer suggestions for how to engage or teach autistic
students who have cognitive difficulties in math classes.
Rockwell, S., Griffin, C., & Jones, H. (2011). Schema-Based Strategy Instruction in
Mathematics and the Word Problem-Solving Performance of a Student With
Autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 26(2), 8795.
In this article, the authors examined the use of schema-based strategy instruction (SBI) as
a method of teaching word problems to students with autism. A schema-based problem is
one that creates a global mental problem-solution picture that helps students to identify
the components of the problem in an effort to solve a future problem. This particular
study was completed on one 10-year-old female student. The results found by this study
suggest that SBI could be an effective way to teach autistic students how to approach and
solve addition and subtraction word problems. The lone participant in the study did show
improvement in her ability to solve word problems after 3 week of instruction. This
ability remained when the researchers returned shortly after the 3-week period. The
results of this study are promising but yet again cannot be generalized due to the number
of student studied (one). The results of the study do, however, suggest that schema-based
strategy instruction may be a useful strategy for autistic students to use when solving
word problems. These results support the idea that autistic learners often learn better
visually as opposed to auditory methods.
Tzanakaki, P., Grindle, C. F., Saville, M., Hastings, R. P., Hughes, J. C., & Huxley, K.
(2014). An individualised curriculum to teach numeracy skills to children
with autism: programme description and pilot data. Support for Learning,
29(4), 319338.
In this article, the researchers conducted a study with six boys (ages 47-81 months) on the
autism spectrum to find out whether or not a program called Maths Recovery could be
used as a numeracy curriculum for autistic students. They state that children with autism
can often experience difficulties with traditional mathematics instruction due to problems
with language processing, lack of engagement, and an inadequate amount of visual
stimulation. Through an individualized instructional approach and appropriate
administration of the Maths Recovery curriculum, the mean math ability scores of the
students involved in the study improved from 66.83 to 78.83 over a 20 week period. The
researchers conclude that Maths Recovery curriculum can be used as a teaching manual
for students with autism. However, they also state that the students involved did not
retain what they had learned in the long term. Thus, this type of instruction would need to
be studied further to determine how it could help to instill these mathematical skills over
the long term.
Kosbob, S., & Moyer, P. S. (2004). Picnicking with Fractions. Teaching Children
Mathematics, 10(7), 375381.
Sarah Kosbob is a grade two teacher at Westlawn Elementary School in Virginia.
Her primary area of interest is how students communicate mathematical ideas. Patricia
Moyer is a mathematics education professor at George Mason University in Virginia. Her
research focuses on mathematical representations and mathematics teacher development.
The intended audience of this article is elementary mathematics teachers. The authors
goals for the research presented in the article are to enhance and support students
understanding of fractions by connecting it to objects and a context they are likely
familiar with picnics. The fraction related problems are based on the concept of sharing
food with other students or attendees of the picnic of various shapes, sizes, and with a
specific number of individuals. The authors state that the students were highly engaged
and motivated by the activity as it was so closely related to real life events.
This paper relies strongly on NCTM standards and connects back to them
frequently throughout the article to validate their research and findings. The article has an
instructional tone and was very clearly written in order to aid other teachers in following
the same lesson and procedures in their own classrooms. The pictures of student work
help support the authors claims of high levels of student engagement as it is clear that
some students worked very hard on their pictures and the dispersion of food throughout
the group.
This article would be an excellent resource for any teacher looking to incorporate
new fraction-related word problems in his or her classroom. Reproducible sheets of the
actual questions used in the lesson are also included.
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Base-ten Blocks
Base-ten blocks are an extremely useful and multifaceted set of manipulatives. They can be used to
support learning in many curriculum areas including
fractions and decimals, numeration, working with
operations, and pattern work. In my own experience,
base-ten blocks can be useful when teaching rounding
to the nearest 10, 100, and 1000 to students. Base-ten
blocks help students gain an understanding of abstract
concepts like place value as well, which otherwise
may have been taught through paper and pencil alone.
Base-ten blocks are also now available for use with
SmartBoard technology, further enhancing their
utility in the classroom. Students can connect paper to
base-ten blocks to base-ten simulations on the screen.
The possibilities are truly endless.
Dice
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Geoboards
Canadian Money
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SmartBoard Lessons
Over the course of my internship and Bachelor of Education degree, I have created a
number of SmartBoard lessons to help create a technology-integrated and 21st century
learning environment. While virtual math manipulatives and mathematics tools cannot
replace physical manipulatives, they can help to promote understanding of complex
topics for both visual and kinesthetic learning styles. An example of one of my
SmartBoard lessons featured below deals with using virtual base-ten blocks to learn about
place value, estimating and re-grouping when adding two and three-digit numbers. These
slides were used in a grade 3 French immersion classroom.
Part 1: Estimating unit cubes in relation to tens rods (determining if numbers are between
0-4 or 5-9).
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15
Part
2:
Using
base-ten
blocks
and
word
problems
to
solve
two
and
three-digit
addition
problems.
5
6
16
17
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AplusMath
The website AplusMath contains a variety
of multiplication, division, geometry, and
addition bingo games that would be an
excellent class review activity. The
website also contains flashcards,
worksheets, and homework helper
activities that can be completed with
parents or guardians at home for
enrichment purposes.
Maths-games.org
Maths-games.org contains games for
enrichment in counting, adding,
multiplication, fractions, percentages,
decimals, shape games, measurement, and
time games. Organization by subject
makes the website very easy to navigate
and use.
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