Model Drawing Strategy for Learning Disability

Myung joo Shin (#19)

Rational and target students who can get

benefits from this strategy:
Students who have learning
disability (LD) are often facing difficulty to
solve some complex problems such as word
problems in Math which is required to
develop multiple steps to find correct
answers. Structured and algorithm flow
chart drawing can be helpful to solve math
problems for LD students.
How this strategy can help learning
disability students (which characteristics it
will help the student overcome):
Difficulty with problem representation
To solve math problem, especially
word problem, students need to extract
accurate information from the problem
statement and get clear understanding
about what should be answered for the
question. These are most important step to
solve problems and not easy tasks for all
students. Clarifying problem and writing
down what should be answered for the
question is necessary steps for LD students
who have difficulty to figure out problem
statement.

Difficulty with self-monitoring activity

LD students are usually struggling to
make a procedure to solve problems, so
practice to make a procedure with step by
step process can help them to have an
organized and systematic thought process
for solving math problems.
Procedures for Implementation:
1. Read the problem out loud
- Process to understand the problem
with students own words
2. Decide who and/or what is involved.
- What was the problem about?
3. Draw a corresponding diagram or picture
based on the problem situation.
- How many units do I have to
describe whole amount?
4. Reread each sentence and identify the
known information on the diagram.
- Is there any unknown information
on the diagram?
5. Put in the question mark(s).
- What is the answer to be find out?
6. Work computation.
- What expression or formula
students have to know to get answer?
7. Answer the question.
- Ask question themselves this
answer is reasonable?

References:
Dennis, M. S., Knight, J., & Jerman, O. (2016).
Teaching High School Students with Learning
Disabilities to Use Model Drawing Strategy to
Solve Fraction and Percentage Word
Problems. Preventing School Failure, 60(1), 1021. doi:10.1080/1045988X.2014.954514
Hord, C., & Newton, J. A. (2014). Investigating
Elementary Mathematics Curricula: Focus on
Students with Learning Disabilities. School
Science & Mathematics, 114(4), 191-201.
doi:10.1111/ssm.12064
Maccini, P., & Ruhl, K. L. (2000). Effects of a
graduated instructional sequence on the
algebraic subtraction of integers by secondary
students with learning disabilities. Education &
Treatment Of Children (ETC), 23(4), 465-489.

<Example problem with procedure in Dennis, Knight &

Jermans article>