FOR TUTOR SOPHIA

1- Developing Computation

Competence Among

Students Who Struggle

With Mathematics (3)

the author s at the beginning mention the important of knowing the foundations of any skills . The explicit instruction that address conceptual knowledge, procedural knowledge, and declarative knowledge can offer a solid foundation for struggling student .the sequence of the instruction is usually conceptual to procedure to declarative . it is important to note that development of conceptual knowledge enhances the development of procedural knowledge and vice versa. Similarly, declarative knowledge with basic addition and subtraction facts supports procedural knowledge related to higher level skill. In the conceptual knowledge they describe the (C-R-A)(concrete- representational - Abstract)strategy to help LD students. Also, In the procedural knowledge, they mention the memory tools like mnemonic to enhance student ability. Developing the Declarative knowledge the student need to practice and review as much as he can to demonstrate the computational skill. In the end, they gave example of practices to illustrate the concept.

2- DEVELOPING ADDITION WITH

REGROUPING COMPETENCE

AMONG SECOND GRADE STUDENTS

WITH MATHEMATICS DIFFICULTIES (4)

The aim of this study was to examine the concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) strategy to develop addition with regrouping ability among students with learning difficulties in mathematics. A 16 lessons were provided to 24 students during a six-week summer program. Students who received CRA strategy gave an outstanding performance comparing to similar peers who received traditional basal textbook instruction in computation skills. The two groups (treatment group and the comparison group) performed similarly on word problems and a discrimination/review measure because be related to the fact that participants in the comparison group may have received similar lessons during the previous school year because instruction was provided using a typical basal textbook. One of the limitations that affected the study that was done in a short time. Based on these results and the limitation for future study are suggested.

3- INTRODUCTION TO THE SPECIAL SERIES:

MATHEMATICS AND LEARNING DISABILITIES

The specific purpose of this special series is to address two primary issues. First, identifying the key Rtl issues as they relate to early mathematics instruction, particularly as they pertain to a multi-tiered service delivery system. Second, because Rtl has focused on young children and prevention of LD, the authors present information about older students who have been identified as having mathematics LD and provide strategies they can use to access the general education curriculum. In this introduction, they describe characteristics of students who have difficulties in mathematics. Surprisingly, word problems were ranked as most problematic for students with learning disabilities and math weaknesses. Then the authors outline the purposes of Rtl and the multi-tiered service delivery system. After that , they discuss briefly elementary and secondary math instruction .For example, procedures that have explicit, systematic, and strategic instruction were beneficial for student with LD .Additionally, they introduce the articles that constitute the special series which is based on research or provide mathematics instruction to students who struggle with mathematics and have mathematics learning disabilities.

· The Need for Number Sense

Math disabilities are estimated to appear in 6 to 10 percent of the population . Students with math difficulties appear less impaired than those with math disabilities. One common characteristic of students in both groups is weak computational fluency, or difficulty quickly solving combinations. For example, Students with math difficulties would start using their fingers later (in 1st grade) and depend on them for longer periods of time. The base of the problem is that many teachers assume that learners with math difficulties and disabilities have trouble memorizing facts but recent research suggests that deficient number sense underlies in many math difficulties. Moreover, math interventions are much less common for young children than are reading interventions. the author point out that in kindergarten students should receive explicit help and research offers some important insights for helping leaners who struggle or who may be at risk for struggling in math. Identifying and intervening at early age is one key to keep

students on track for math success.

· An Exploratory Study of a Number Sense Program to Develop Kindergarten Students’ Number Proficiency

The purpose of this exploratory study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a number sense intervention for kindergarten with low achievement and attending a high-poverty school. The instruction in number sense that combined validated instructional practices for example systematic and explicit instruction. The study was designed to examine whether a brief 4-week intervention would positively affect student outcomes or not .Results indicated significant differences favoring the treatment students on all measures of number sense (e.g., spatial relationships, more and less relationships, benchmarks of five and ten, nonverbal calculations) at posttest and on a 3-week retention test. Based on the results, the authors suggested that NSI might be helpful for a wide range of students

4- Teaching Algebra to Students With

Learning Disabilities

The authors begin by identifying three areas of algebra difficulty experienced by students with disabilities: cognitive processes, content foundations, and algebra concepts. The authors next describe three evidence-based strategies for addressing these needs: classwide peer-tutoring(CWPT), cognitive strategy instruction(CSI), and explicit instructional routines(EIR).Finally, he recommended teachers to experiment the existing interventions by modifying what is described in the literature to fit their students’ circumstances, while at the same time systematically gathering data to evaluate the effects of their instruction.

Embedding Number-Combinations Practice

Within Word-Problem Tutoring

Two aspects of mathematics with which students with mathematics learning difficulty (MLD) often struggle are word problems and number-combination skills. This article describes a two instructional approaches into the pirate-themed math program. The program teaches word-problem solving with concurrent explicit instruction on counting strategies and daily practice with solving number combinations within the context of solving word problems. The pirate theme is woven throughout each session as students are asked to be a pirate and “Find X!” For motivation, students have the opportunity to earn gold coins during each session and if he collect a certain amount the student will get to choose a small prize from a treasure box. Results from randomized control trials indicated that using counting strategies with word problems got superior outcomes for students with MLD beyond tutoring programs that focus exclusively on number combinations or word problems.

Cognitive Strategy Instruction for Teaching Word

Problems to Primary-Level Struggling Students

This article presents a cognitive solution strategy, the Math Scene Investigator (MSI), which educators can use to help students with mathematics difficulties and LD solve word problems at the primary level .When MSI was used as part of an intervention for struggling Tier 2 students in Grades 1 and 2. As a result of that , the students were able to memorize the steps and they were able to quickly and accurately apply the steps and solve the problem. When compared to the previous year in which the MSI strategy was not used the student were having more trouble and unable to solve the problem.

Using Computation Curriculum-Based Measurement

Probes for Error Pattern Analysis

Computational fluency is an important mathematics skill that is commonly identified as one of the core standards in kindergarten through eighth grade curricula. However, the challenge many teachers face is that the progress rate alone does not necessarily provide enough information to make instruction decisions that efficiently address the needs of individual students. In this article the author combined the CBM-C and EPA to help determine appropriate instructional choices. Three special education teachers implemented the action research studies as a requirement for credit in a university master’s degree course. The assessment and intervention was implemented for 8 weeks, with one 30-min intervention session provided per week. The result was substantive improvement (ROI) over 8 weeks for each student.

Math Literacy Strategies for Students

With Learning Difficulties.

The majority of 4th and 8th-grade students, with and without disabilities, are performing at or below basic levels in math. Therefore, it becomes important to apply research-supported instructional approaches that facilitate contextual learning of both mathematical content and math reasoning as states implement new and updated standards, such as the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. After the author emphasize the important of research supported instruction. Then he describes some characteristics of students who struggle with math. Then he mentions what the research shows for improving math outcomes for students with disabilities. After that he provides two instructional approaches for promoting math reasoning that might improve the mathematics literacy performance of students who struggle with math. Finally, he gave future directions to help student with MD.

Using Number Lines to Solve Math Word Problems: A Strategy for Students with Learning Disabilities

In the article the author present an instructional approach focusing specifically on one type of model (number lines) within a problem-solving routine which may improve students’ problem-solving proficiency.

Additionally, the problem representation strategy must incorporate with other cognitive and instructional components, so student with LD can use it. In this article the authors focus only on the particular cognitive strategy of visualizing and refer readers to the work of Montague (2003) which visualizing is a critical part. Then they describe the steps of the visualizing strategy using number line representations for word problems which is two phases: (1) translating the problem to the number line, and (2) interpreting the number line representation. In this study Maria, the other nine students improved the accuracy and the schematic nature of their word-problem representations after just one instructional session in this skill, with most taking an average of five lessons to master the skill. This strategy improves the conceptual understanding of math word problems and, subsequently, the problem-solving performance of students with LD.

Self-Regulation in Learning

Mathematics Online: Implications for

Supporting Mathematically Gifted

Students with or without Learning

Difficulties

The article focuses on how best to support SRL (self-regulated learning) in mathematically gifted students engaged in online mathematics learning. The description of self-regulation is capacity of an individual to alter his or her behavior in order to achieve particular goals. The importance of Self-Regulated Learning is that it can motivate and let the student engage in a task. Online learning is one way of providing both stimulation and challenge. The evidence strongly supports the value of online learning as a medium for advancing mathematical development not only in gifted students but in all students and at all ages. The expected outcome from mathematics education ― ‘mathematical proficiency’― has changed from mastery of specific subject matter and skills to proficiency in five integrated strands: conceptual understanding, procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning, and productive disposition. Moreover, self-regulated learning instruction not only increased mathematics self-efficacy beliefs of the students, but also improved their attitude toward the subject (productive disposition).However, this form of learning requires adequate self-regulation on the part of the learner; and this self-regulation may need to be specifically taught and encouraged.