Special Education

Teaching Students with Learning and Behavioural Differences
A Resource Guide for Teachers

Acquiring basic math skills such as:

Count everything and encourage parents to do so as well (e.g. how many children are ready to go for recess? 1,2,3,....).
Devise real situations that require the children to count (e.g. label work centres with pictures that depict the number of children allowed at each centre at a given time; move to numerals later in the year).
Play card games that require familiarity with basic math skills.
Play board games that require counting (e.g. snakes and ladders).
Use chanting and songs to reinforce number concepts.
Use manipulatives whenever possible to make numeracy concrete (counters, rulers, fingers, etc.).
Select appropriate software so that students can practice newly acquired skills.

Math Story Problem Clues
Addition Putting sets together: How many in all? How many together? What is the sum? What is the total?	Subtraction Taking sets apart: Find the difference. How many more/less? How much bigger? taller? Compare two numbers. Heavier? Older?
Multiplication Putting equal sets together: How many in all? How many all together?	Division Taking equal sets apart: Find the average. What would one unit be? If shared? divided? Find the quotient.

Students can learn a strategy for doing their own problem solving by practising the skills in a structured environment such as the classroom.

Define the problem and clarify their understanding of what the problem means to them.
Brainstorm some possible strategies to solve the problem and pick one to work on first.
Break the strategy down into its component steps and make a plan.
Carry out the plan, paying attention to each step.
Evaluate the results. If plan is not successful, consider picking another strategy generated during the brainstorming and recycling through the list.

Recalling basic facts such as multiplication and division.

Provide target students with a table of facts; cross out known facts so that the student refers to chart only for unknown facts.
Use overheads to illustrate number patterns.
Review facts with background music.
Review facts by intervals.
Use song games and chants to memorize facts.
Teach calculator skills if the student understands the process but cannot remember facts (intermediate).
Select appropriate software so that students can practice newly acquired skills.
Attempt visual/written rather than verbal drills for students with weak auditory memory.

Solving word problems.

Establish if the problem is a reading problem or a conceptual problem.
Use pictures/rebus to illustrate words.
Match words with operations:
- how many, altogether (add or multiply)
- how many more (subtract)
- how many left (subtract)
- how many does each (divide)
Diagram word problems.
Compose word problems.
Use manipulative, drama to make word problems understandable.

Developing problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Teach a set problem-solving procedure that can be applied to a wide range of problems.
Illustrate with meaningful examples (e.g. problems related to bicycles, farming, building, logging).
Encourage students who have difficulty remembering which operation to use to colour code key words and symbols with highlighter pen. A different colour should be consistently used for each operation.