7 Practical Ways Parents Can Help a Child with Dyscalculia
Many children struggle with learning disabilities that can hinder their ability to process and understand information. Dyscalculia is a developmental disorder that involves difficulty conceptualizing and performing mathematics. The following are several practical ways that parents can help a child who struggles with dyscalculia.
Play With Dominoes Playing games that use dominoes can help a child more easily understand simple math concepts. Specialist Ronit Bird states that a child should learn to recognize the number patterns on the dominoes and dice instead of counting the individual dots each time. Start by using dominoes and dice by themselves so your child feels comfortable with these objects. Next, find a game your child enjoys that uses these items.
Resist Using Worksheets Whenever possible, parents should play games with their children to reinforce math facts instead of relying on worksheets. Games are almost always more interesting for kids. They present math as fun challenges to solve instead of boring concepts to memorize. If worksheets are used, it may be necessary to highlight important numbers in the instructions and throughout various problems. Allow your child to use a variety of colored pencils when completing worksheets, as it may help them more easily organize their work.
Use Manipulatives Seeing and handling a tangible object will help a child better understand the abstract principles of mathematics. Legos and simple blocks can be used to teach addition and subtraction. TheSchoolRun.com suggests using a counter when working with children. Actually covering a certain number of counters with your hands will enable your child to more easily visualize different groups of numbers.
Learn the Language of Math Parents should encourage their child to talk out loud as they work through a problem or new math concept. Children who struggle with math may have good language skills that could help make the mathematical process easier. It's a good idea for children to learn several synonyms for a variety of math terms. For example, when discussing addition problems they could use terms such as "plus," "increase" and "more than." Explain basic terms to your child and allow them to talk about each definition, describing what it means in their own words.
Create Visual Models While this is similar to using manipulatives, creating visual models can expand beyond working with basic handheld objects. Understood.org advises moving around large objects in a room or drawing pictures to vividly explain aspects of math problems. Even simple household objects such as different colored socks or pairs of shoes can be used to teach addition and subtraction.
Use Accommodations Accommodations can include everything from circling keywords in math sentences to giving your child extra paper to work out math problems. You should also discuss with your child's teacher accommodations that can be implemented at school. A few include extra time given for tests and access to a math resource room if one is available. The school may also allow a child with dyscalculia to use a calculator when working on daily math problems as well as tests.
Teach Toward Understanding While learning math can be broken into sections, it's always a good idea to have the end goal in mind. Memorizing facts -- such as multiplication tables -- is a good idea, but simply memorizing facts won't always lead to real understanding of a math concept or process. Start by instructing your child to reason through a problem using logic instead of rote memorization. It's also a good idea to memorize a few basic strategies that have wide application.
While each one of these strategies may not work with every child, finding even a few that do will likely go a long way in helping a child build their math skills. It's important for parents to acknowledge the struggles and praise the progress that's achieved with each new skill that their child masters.
Njia 7 Wazazi Wanazoweza Kumsaidia Mtoto Mwenye Ulemavu wa Kusadikisha Watoto wengi wana matatizo ya kujifunza yanayoweza kuwazuia wasiweze kuelewa habari. Dyscalculia ni ugonjwa wa maendeleo ambao unahusisha ugumu wa kufikiria na kufanya hesabu. Hapa chini kuna njia kadhaa ambazo wazazi wanaweza kumsaidia mtoto anayepambana na dyscalculia. Kucheza michezo inayotumia domino kunaweza kumsaidia mtoto kuelewa kwa urahisi zaidi dhana rahisi za hisabati. "Ronit Bird anasema: ""Kila mtoto anapaswa kujifunza kutambua nambari zilizo kwenye domino na dice badala ya kuhesabu nambari moja-moja." Anza kwa kutumia domino na dice peke yake ili mtoto wako ahisi vizuri na vitu hivi. Kisha, tafuta mchezo ambao mtoto wako anafurahia na utumie vitu hivyo. Wakati wowote iwezekanavyo, wazazi wanapaswa kucheza michezo na watoto wao ili kuimarisha ukweli wa hisabati badala ya kutegemea karatasi za kazi. Michezo karibu sikuzote huwa yenye kupendeza zaidi kwa watoto. Wao hutoa hesabu kama changamoto za kufurahisha za kutatua badala ya dhana za kuchosha za kukumbuka. Ikiwa karatasi za kazi hutumiwa, huenda ikawa lazima kuonyesha namba muhimu katika maagizo na katika matatizo mbalimbali. Mruhusu mtoto wako atumie penseli mbalimbali za rangi wakati wa kukamilisha karatasi za kazi, kwa kuwa huenda ikamsaidia kupanga kazi yake kwa urahisi zaidi. Kutumia Vifaa vya Kudhibiti Kuona na kushughulikia kitu kinachoonekana kitamsaidia mtoto kuelewa vizuri kanuni zisizo za kawaida za hesabu. Legos na vitalu rahisi vyaweza kutumiwa kufundisha kuongeza na kuondoa. TheSchoolRun.com inapendekeza kutumia kukabiliana wakati wa kufanya kazi na watoto. Kwa kutumia mikono yako, unaweza kumfanya mtoto wako aone kwa urahisi makundi tofauti ya namba. Kujifunza Lugha ya Hisabati Wazazi wanapaswa kumtia moyo mtoto wao azungumze kwa sauti wakati wanafanya kazi kupitia tatizo au dhana mpya ya hisabati. Watoto ambao wana matatizo ya hisabati wanaweza kuwa na ujuzi mzuri wa lugha ambao unaweza kusaidia kufanya mchakato wa hisabati iwe rahisi. Ni wazo zuri kwa watoto kujifunza maneno kadhaa yanayofanana na maneno mbalimbali ya hisabati. Kwa mfano, wanapozungumzia matatizo ya kuongeza wangeweza kutumia maneno kama vile "plus", "kuongezeka" na "zaidi ya". Mweleze mtoto wako maneno ya msingi na umruhusu azungumze juu ya kila ufafanuzi, akielezea maana yake kwa maneno yake mwenyewe. Kuunda Visual Models Wakati hii ni sawa na kutumia manipulatives, kujenga mifano ya kuona inaweza kupanua zaidi ya kufanya kazi na vitu vya msingi handheld. Understood.org inapendekeza kuzunguka vitu vikubwa katika chumba au kuchora picha ili kueleza kwa uwazi mambo fulani ya masuala ya hisabati. Hata vitu rahisi vya nyumbani kama vile soksi zenye rangi tofauti au viatu vinavyofanana vinaweza kutumiwa kufundisha kuongeza na kuondoa. Matumizi ya makazi: Makazi yanaweza kujumuisha kila kitu kutoka kwa kuzunguka maneno muhimu katika sentensi za hisabati hadi kumpa mtoto wako karatasi ya ziada ili kutatua matatizo ya hisabati. Pia unapaswa kuzungumzia na mwalimu wa mtoto wako marekebisho ambayo yanaweza kutekelezwa shuleni. Baadhi yao hutia ndani wakati wa ziada unaotolewa kwa ajili ya mitihani na upatikanaji wa chumba cha rasilimali za hisabati ikiwa kinaweza kupatikana. Shule inaweza pia kumruhusu mtoto mwenye dyscalculia kutumia kompyuta wakati wa kufanya kazi ya kila siku ya hesabu na vilevile vipimo. Kujifunza hesabu kwa njia ya uelewaji: Ingawa kujifunza hesabu kunaweza kugawanywa katika sehemu, ni wazo zuri daima kuwa na lengo la mwisho akilini. Kumbuka ukweli - kama vile meza za kuzidisha - ni wazo nzuri, lakini tu kukumbuka ukweli si daima kusababisha uelewa wa kweli wa dhana ya hisabati au mchakato. Anza kwa kumfundisha mtoto wako kufikiri kwa kutumia akili badala ya kukariri. Pia ni wazo zuri kukumbuka mikakati michache ya msingi ambayo inaweza kutumiwa kwa wingi. Ingawa kila moja ya mbinu hizi inaweza kuwa haiwezi kufanya kazi kwa kila mtoto, kupata hata chache ambazo hufanya uwezekano wa kwenda njia ndefu katika kusaidia mtoto kujenga ujuzi wao wa hisabati. Ni muhimu kwa wazazi kutambua mapambano na kusifu maendeleo ambayo yamepatikana na kila ujuzi mpya ambao mtoto wao anajifunza.