The Dyscalculator: An App That Helps Dyscalculics Calculate

James

A guest article from Elisheva Seeman the creator of the Dyscalculator.

I first became aware of Dyscalculia when I noticed that my friend couldn’t read numbers. I couldn’t understand why she would always ask the people around her to tell her what number was written down, or why she would repeatedly ask what time someone said they were picking her up. When I realised how much Dyscalculia affected her on a daily basis, and how much it caused her to struggle in so many areas, I decided to find her an app or website to do the calculations for her. I figured that she was not the only one with this issue – surely someone must have developed a program to help with that.


I was wrong – all the apps I found when searching were geared towards teaching math, as opposed to offering tools to help people. So, I decided to create an app specifically to help her with numbers – and she loved it! She used it every day in different ways, and it really built up her confidence and helped her become less reliant on other people.

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Mark Daly and Discovering his Dyscalculia.

James
Photo by Nick Hillier on Unsplash

We recently got introduced to Mark Daly and his inspirational story of discovering his dyscalculia and returning to education as an adult. Mark had always struggled with numbers but growing up in 1980’s Ireland there was little to no awareness of dyscalculia or how to address it. Incredibly 30 years ago he discovered he had dyscalculia whilst on holiday in the USA and now he has been facing his challenges with this learning difficulty.

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Awareness of Dyscalculia through CPD work

James

Written by Natalie Kerslake B.A (Hons), MA Ed SEND
KS2 Teaching Assistant


Photo by Crissy Jarvis on Unsplash

A bit about me

My name is Natalie Kerslake B.A (Hons), MA Ed SEND, and I am a primary school teaching assistant, currently teaching in Year 6, with a particular interest in supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities. In January 2016, I graduated with my MA Education with specialism in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) at the University of Derby,

I became motivated to complete my MA Ed research on dyscalculia after supporting a child with this in my first teaching assistant post. I did not know anything about dyscalculia myself at the time and not much was available to support teachers and children in this area. I wanted to investigate the current situation as to supporting children with dyscalculia in one particular primary school and see whether this was the case in another school.

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Popular Math Apps in the Resource Classroom: Why I Chose Not To Use Them

James

This is a guest article from Special Education Teacher Monise Seward, you can find out more about her work on her website – http://www.moniseseward.com/

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For the last 8 months, my IG and Twitter posts have focused on two main goals; find (a) Dyscalculia and Dyslexia training; and (b) Math Apps and/or curriculum designed with my students’ needs in mind. Both proved to be challenging and time-consuming endeavours, eventually I found one.

Dyscalculia is the Learning Disability you’ve probably never heard of, despite the fact that 5-10% of the population has it. Based on the challenges non-identified students experience, I believe there are more kids (and adults) with Dyscalculia. We simply characterize their struggles as ‘Math anxiety’; at least, in this country. Based on conversations had with U.S. teachers, few are aware of the existence of Dyscalculia. They are unable to identify the characteristics exhibited by students who may have it. Compounded by a lack of training on Dyscalculia, many teachers adhere to a pacing guide that does not allow time for remediation or accommodations.

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Dyscalculia – Spot The Signs

James
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

Signs of Dyscalculia

It’s important to take signs of dyscalculia seriously. At the beginning of school, all children experience occasional difficulties with math. If these problems fail to dissipate with supported homework sessions or additional hours of practice, however, parents and teachers should be on alert for potential dyscalculia.

The following signs can indicate the presence of dyscalculia:


General well-being

  • …has anxiety about going to school

  • …has anxiety about taking tests

  • …has a negative perception of their own intelligence

  • …is withdrawn
  • …expects to fail
  • …displays frustration and a reluctance to try (maths) in other subjects
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Dyscalculia – Identifying and Addressing it in Daily Life

James

Are you wondering why your child struggles with numbers and finds it difficult to solve the seemingly simple tasks?

Photo by Crissy Jarvis on Unsplash

Understanding Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is usually perceived as a specific learning difficulty for mathematics, or, more appropriately, arithmetic. In isolated dyscalculia, there are no deficits in reading or writing. Dyscalculia is classified under WHO ICD-10, a classification system for diseases and mental disorders, as:

“The deficit concerns mastery of basic computational skills of
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division rather than of the more
abstract mathematical skills involved in algebra, trigonometry,
geometry, or calculus.”

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Jobs and Job Hunting Tips for People with Disabilities

James
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Looking for a new job is stressful. When you have a disability, especially one that can’t be seen, it can be even more stressful. You may feel pressured to list your disability on your CV or be fearful of asking for accommodations after you’re hired if you don’t give them a heads up. But many of these fears are unfounded, and there are laws that make the job search less intimidating. There are also tons of jobs that are ideal for people with physical and neurological disabilities.

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How EdTech Is Re-Shaping The Education Landscape

James

There’s no denying that the landscape of education is changing. With the advent of computers, the internet and mobile phones, there are so many technologies available today that were not present in the 1950s, or even five or ten years ago. A decade ago, the iPad didn’t exist. Now you’ll find them in millions of classrooms around the country.

These new technologies are completely altering the education landscape, from the way students learn to where they are physically located when they consume educational material.

In this article, we’re going to give you the what, why, and how regarding the ways education technology is reshaping the education world, including both the pros and cons.


What is Education Technology?

 

 

At a high level, education technology is any kind of technology that is specifically used to promote or enhance education. This could be software, hardware, devices, online programs, servers, cloud storage and so on.

Education technology, often referred to as “EdTech” for short, can be used in many different schools and locations and has been a growing force in education for years.

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A Guide To Preparing For Parenthood With A Disability

James

Photo by bruce mars from Pexels

When you’re expecting a baby, it’s normal to spend hours on end thinking about the ways in which you will have to prepare your life and home for the arrival of a new family member. These anxieties are significantly amplified for expecting parents living with a disability. You may be keenly aware of how to adapt your life to your disability, but it’s not as obvious when you have to consider how a brand new life fits in.

But don’t worry – every parent goes through this. Your disability offers a different sort of challenge, but that doesn’t mean that preparing for parenthood has to be a logistical and emotional ordeal.

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Dyscalculia in the Workplace

James

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

If your dyscalculia was undiagnosed until adulthood or perhaps you’re still undiagnosed, it is possible that you have gravitated towards a career that doesn’t involve maths. But no matter how often you need to do equations or handle numbers on a daily basis, simple accommodations can help you to perform your job to the best of your ability.

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