Session 5: Principles of

Intervention/Strategies to
Address Math
Difficulties/Planning for
Interventions

DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRACTICES IN

EARLY LANGUAGE, LITERACY AND NUMERACY
What is remediation?

The commonly accepted idea of remediation as a

careful effort to reteach successfully what was not
well taught or not well learned during the initial
teaching. (Glennon & Wilson, 1972)
Who needs Math remediation?

Students who show lags in Math performance that

are unlike his or her potential or performance in
other academic areas
Do not allow children who may have special
needs to go from one grade to another
without a professional team assessing the
student for eligibility for services and
supports. "Waiting" is NOT an effective,
educational practice. Although the process of
referral can be cumbersome, it is well worth
it when it identifies needs that can be met
during the educational life of the child.
– Barbara T. Doyle, Johns Hopkins School of
Education
 The Remediation Process
1) Identify the concepts, skills, procedures to be retaught.
2) Collect supporting information, such as anecdotes,
work portfolio, and assessment reports.
3) Select appropriate re-teaching methods and strategies.
4) Provide remediation.
5) Evaluate and determine next steps.
What a Remedial Math Teacher Needs
to Know
1) Structure of Mathematics

2) The student’s strengths and difficulties

• Error analysis
• Formal Testing
• Diagnostic Testing

3) Remedial instruction strategies

1. Structure (Chinn & Ashcroft, 1998)
Math is learned Levels of difficulty build
from concrete to up as the lessons
abstract progress.
1. Structure (Chinn & Ashcroft, 1998)
Implications:
1.If the basic levels are skipped or not well-taught, the
foundations of learning become shaky.

2.When foundations are shaky, learning becomes segmented,

thus the student has to resort to memorization.

3.When lessons are simply memorized, more effort is needed to

learn higher-level lessons.
What are the potential areas of
difficulties in learning Math? (Chinn
& Ashcroft, 1998)
A. Direction and Sequence

1. Directional
confusion
A. Direction and Sequence
counting on vs. counting
2.Sequencing
backwards,
Problems place values
B. Perception

3. Visual Difficulties
B. Perception
4. Spatial Awareness
C. Retrieval
5. Working Memory
and Short-term
Memory

6.Long-term
Memory
7. Speed of Working
8. Math Language
• Vocabulary knowledge

• a symbol with different names

vs.
a name for different symbols
9. Cognitive Style (Chinn & Ashcroft,1998)
Analyzing and Identifying the Problem

Inchworm Grasshopper
1. Focuses on the parts and 1. Tends to overview, holistic,
details. Separates. puts together.
2. Looks at the numbers and 2. Looks at the numbers and
facts to select a relevant facts to estimate an answer
formula or procedure. or restrict range of answers.
Controlled exploration.
Cognitive Style (Chinn & Ashcroft, 1998)
Solving the Problem
Inchworm Grasshopper
3. Formula, procedure orientated. 3. Answer orientated.

4. Constrained focus, Uses a single 4. Flexible focusing. Methods change.

method.
5. Often works back from a trial
5. Works in serially ordered steps, answer. Multi-method.
usually forward.
6. Adjusts, breaks down/ builds up
6. Uses numbers exactly as given. numbers to make an easier
calculation.
Cognitive Style (Chinn & Ashcroft, 1998)
Solving the Problem
Inchworm Grasshopper
7. More comfortable with paper and 7. Rarely documents method.
pen. Documents method. Performs calculation mentally.

8. Unlikely to check or evaluate 8. Likely to appraise and evaluate

answer. If check is done, uses same answer against original estimate.
procedure or method. Checks by alternate method.

9. Often does not understand 9. Good understanding of the

procedure or values of numbers. numbers, methods and
Works mechanically. relationships.
10. Conceptual Ability

• IQ Score

• Abilities in the
Multiple
Intelligences
10. Conceptual Ability
• Impact of Brain-based Condition(s)

• Social or behavioral skills-related

• Autism
• Asperger’s Syndrome
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Syndrome

• Communication skills-related
• Language Acquisition
• Receptive / Expressive Language Difficulties
10. Conceptual Ability
• Impact of Brain-based Condition(s)

• Cognitive/learning skills-related
• MR/ Intellectual Disability
• Learning Disabilities
• Long and Short-term Memory Deficits

• Physical or sensory skills-based

• Visual Impairment
• Hearing Impairment
10. Conceptual Ability
• Dyscalculia

• Dyscalculia is usually perceived of as a specific

learning difficulty for mathematics, or, more
appropriately, arithmetic.
(http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/)

• Dyscalculia is a brain-based condition that

makes it hard to make sense of numbers and
math concepts.
(https://www.understood.org/)
11. Anxiety,
Stress, and Self-
image

• Effect of experiences
and environment

• Attitude towards Math

SOME TEACHING STRATEGIES
TO ADDRESS COMMON MATH
DIFFICULTIES
Number line

5
5 and 10 are called landmark
numbers. They are numbers
that will make counting and
computation easy

5
1. Use landmark numbers
a. Rounding

5
1. Use landmark numbers
b. Solving
2. Use graphic organizers
a. Grids
2. Use graphic organizers
b. Tables (rows and columns)
2. Use graphic organizers
c. Grids and spaces for long division
2. Use graphic organizers
d. Guide
questions
and spaces
3. Use mnemonics

a. Order of operations
3. Use mnemonics

b. Parts of a subtraction sentence

3. Use mnemonics

c. Long division
4. Show patterns and
properties
a. Properties of addition and multiplication
4. Show patterns and
properties
b. Breaking numbers down / decomposing
c. The hundreds chart

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60
61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70
71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80
81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100
5. Teach math vocabulary
a. Unlock new terms
5. Teach math vocabulary

b. Teach word analysis

5. Teach math vocabulary
c. Tell the background story
6. Visualize and verbalize
PRINCIPLES OF
INTERVENTION
Principles of Intervention
(Chinn & Ashcroft, 2007)

1. Build on what the child knows

 Show interconnectedness of lessons
 Promote reasoning
Principles of Intervention
(Chinn & Ashcroft, 2007)

2. Acknowledge the student’s learning style

 T’s best method might not work
 Let student discover the strategies that work
for him
Principles of Intervention
(Chinn & Ashcroft, 2007)

3. Make math developmental

 Use the concrete-representational-abstract
progression
 Employ gradual transfer
Principles of Intervention
(Chinn & Ashcroft, 2007)

4. Use the language that communicates the

idea
 Use the child’s language
 Use visuals, real objects, experiences
Principles of Intervention
(Chinn & Ashcroft, 2007)

5. Use the same basic numbers to build an

understanding of each process or
concept
 Make instruction success-oriented
Principles of Intervention
(Chinn & Ashcroft, 2007)

5. Teach ‘why’ as well as ‘how’

Principles of Intervention
(Chinn & Ashcroft, 2007)

7. Keep a
responsive
balance in all of
teaching

If the child does not learn the way you

teach, then you must teach the way he learns.
- Harry Chasty
 REMEDIAL PLAN FOR MATHEMATICS INTERVENTION
Grade ____
2nd QUARTER

Name of Struggling Pupils:

School:

Period of Implementation: Second Quarter

Brief Background of the Recipients

The names listed are the struggling pupils in Mathematics. The scores in the
summative tests and performance task during the second quarter of the listed
pupils are low and/or below the passing scores for the items given. Low in
performance task and summative test results due to lack of practice or patience,
attention difficulties, and concepts are learned but not understood.
Noted Areas of Difficulties (Least Mastered Skills):

1. Visualizes and solves one-step routine and nonroutine problems involving

addition of whole
numbers including money with sums up to 99 using appropriate problem solving
strategies.
2. Visualizes, represents, and subtracts the following numbers:
a. one-digit numbers with minuends through 18 (basic facts)
b. one- to two-digit numbers with minuends up to 99 without regrouping
c. one- to two-digit numbers with minuends up to 99 with regrouping
3. Visualizes, represents, and solves routine and nonroutine problems involving
subtraction of whole
numbers including money with minuends up to 99 with and without regrouping
using appropriate problem solving strategies and tools.
Remedial Plan/Intervention

General Goal: To increase the performance of the struggling pupils in

Mathematics

Specific Goal:

Description of the Plan Intervention

1.Teach the previous lesson’s concepts before moving forward to the next lesson
2.Task analysis helps the teacher to see what part of the lesson and process is
causing difficulty for the pupils
3.Additional practice to master the skills by supplying activity sheets
4. Given enough time practicing math concepts specifically the identified areas
in which they need improvement and focus
Status after Remediation

The identified struggling pupils in Mathematics got a passing average in the

second quarter through guiding them, giving proper attention during the answering
of modules by the parents and home visitation/regular follow up of teachers

Prepared by:

Math Teacher

NOTED:

SH
REFERENCES:

Bley, N.S. and Thornton, C.A. (2001). Teaching mathematics to students with
learning disabilities, 4th ed. USA: Pro-Ed.

Chinn, S. and Ashcroft, J. (1998). Mathematics for dyslexics: A teaching

handbook, 2nd ed. UK: Whurr.

Chinn, S. and Ashcroft, J. (2007). Mathematics for dyslexics: Including

Dyscalculia, 3rd ed. England: John Wiley and Sons.

Doabler, C.T., et.al. (2012). Evaluating Three Elementary Mathematics

Programs for Presence of Eight Research-Based Instructional Design Principles.
Learning Disability Quarterly, 35(4), 200-211.

Lalley, J.P. and Miller, R.H. (2002).Computational Skills, Working Memory, and
Conceptual Knowledge in Older Children with Mathematics Learning Disabilities.
Education, 126(4), 747-755.

Mabbott, D.J. and Bisanz, J. (2008). Computational Skills, Working Memory,

and Conceptual Knowledge in Older Children With Mathematics Learning
Disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41(1), 15-28.

Miles, T.R. and Miles, E, Eds. (1992). Dyslexia and mathematics. USA:
Routledge.