Many students have learning disabilities that prevent them from comprehending aspects of math.
Much attention has been given to learning disabilities regarding reading and language. In this day and age, many people are familiar with reading-disability terms such as dyslexia. But what about dyscalculia, which is the difficulty to effectively understand and learn concepts of math? There are several ways in which learners can have problems with math, and these disabilities are broken down by the specific factors that are not being processed in the individual's mind.
Math Facts
Some young students are easily able to understand the basic principles of concepts such as arithmetic. That is, if they see two groups of two items, they can count them up and know that they have four items. The problem is, they can't immediately recall the basic fact that two plus two equals four without visualizing the addition of two groups of items or counting the equation on their fingers. This problem can affect the student's ability to progress in their math education because they can not approach more complex problems with the ease and efficiency of their peers.
Language of Math
Students experiencing problems understanding the terms and language specific to math often also have learning disabilities related to language arts. Students with this specific disability might be able to solve math equations without too much trouble, but will have problems comprehending written math problems and following teachers' classroom instructions.
Calculations
Some students can comprehend very complex mathematical principles, but can not get their heads around basic calculation and arithmetic. That is, calculus and algebra don't pose significant problems, but addition and multiplication are difficult in the early grades.
Abstract-Concrete Connections
One of the basic principles of early math is that numeric symbols represent actual quantities. Many children begin to learn math by connecting those symbols to actual quantities of objects. Some children experience a disability where they are not able to easily make this connection. Some children intuitively understand concrete examples and have a more organic understanding of mathematics, but can not translate this knowledge to numbers on a page.
Visual-Spatial Problems
If a child has problems with pictorial representations, or disabilities concerning organization or handwriting, this will affect the ability to learn math. Because math problems consist of numbers written on a page, a child with these visual-spatial difficulties may not be able to comprehend what he sees.
Tags: learning disabilities, problems with, actual quantities, arithmetic That, basic principles, groups items, have learning