Rose Lister Dyscalculia And Perseverance

James

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Last week we spoke to Rose Lister, a primary school teacher who has struggled with numbers and was eventually diagnosed with dyscalculia at age 21. Rose tells us about the frustration of completing school education without a diagnosis – by telling her story, she hopes to bring more awareness to dyscalculia. Her story is very inspiring, and we hope that it can show you that dyscalculia doesn’t have to limit you in what you want to achieve in life.

In this part of the interview, we discussed the increased understanding of dyscalculia, her experience as a primary school teacher, and advice for those who have just been diagnosed and for parents with children struggling with numbers.


As a teacher, do you feel there has been an increase in understanding dyscalculia?


Defiantly since I was at school (I finished school in 2008) but I do believe there is still more understanding and research to be done and also awareness to be had. Everyone has heard of conditions such as dyslexia, but I still meet people who have never heard of dyscalculia. 



What would you advise to someone who has just gotten their diagnosis?


Please believe in your own abilities and remind yourself that you are working as hard as you can and that perseverance is far more important than grades or exam results. If you are trying your best, then that is all that matters, and you should feel proud of yourself for showing such perseverance and ambition. You can do it! Also, never ever compare yourself to others. Focus on your skills and gifts and what you are capable of. Having a learning difficulty does not mean you are not clever or cannot do something. It just means you learn in a slightly different way and wouldn’t it be a boring world if we were all the same!  

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Rose Lister Dyscalculia And Becoming A Teacher

James

A new feature of the blog is a conversation series with people living with dyscalculia. 

Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash

This week we spoke to Rose Lister, a primary school teacher who has struggled with numbers and was eventually diagnosed with dyscalculia at age 21. Rose tells us about the frustration of completing school education without a diagnosis – by telling her story, she hopes to bring more awareness to dyscalculia. Her story is very inspiring, and we hope that it can show you that dyscalculia doesn’t have to limit you in what you want to achieve in life.

In this part of the interview, we discussed her path to diagnosis, her time at school and the challenges that overcame to become a primary school teacher. The second part of the interview, covering her experience as a primary school teacher and advice to parents, will be published the following week!

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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 daily and how much it caused her to struggle in 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 – someone must have developed a program to help with that.


I was wrong – all the apps I found when searching were geared toward teaching math instead of offering tools to help people. So, I created an app specifically to help her with numbers – and she loved it! She used it every day in different ways, building up her confidence and helping 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 1980s 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 challenges with this learning difference.

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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 in Education with a specialism in Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) at the University of Derby.

In my first teaching assistant post, I became motivated to complete my MA Ed research on dyscalculia after supporting a child with this. I did not know anything about dyscalculia at the time, and not much was available to support teachers and children in this area. I wanted to investigate the current situation of 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/. 


Calcularis – Estimation Game, Comparing different amounts.

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

Dyscalculia is the Learning Difference you’ve probably never heard of, despite 5-10% of the population having it. Based on the challenges non-identified students experience, I believe there are more kids (and adults) with Dyscalculia. We characterise their struggles as ‘Math anxiety’ in this country. Based on conversations had with U.S. teachers, few are aware of the existence of Dyscalculia. They cannot 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, parents and teachers should be 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 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 challenging to solve seemingly simple tasks?

Photo by Crissy Jarvis on Unsplash

Understanding Dyscalculia

Dyscalculia is usually perceived as a specific learning difference in 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
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Looking for a new job is stressful. It can be even more stressful when you have a disability, especially one that can’t be seen. 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 some laws make the job search less intimidating. There are also many ideal jobs 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, many of today’s technologies 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 how students learn to where they are physically located when they consume educational material.

In this article, we will 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 specifically used to promote or enhance education. This could be software, hardware, devices, online programs, servers, cloud storage, etc.

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

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