Mathematics for Dyslexics and Dyscalculics, 4th Edition

1Dyscalculia, Dyslexia and Mathematics

Introduction

In 1981, when we moved from working in mainstream schools and began teaching in schools for dyslexic learners, our initial expectation was that teaching mathematics would be much the same as before. At that time we could not find any source of guidance to confirm or contradict this expectation. We thought dyslexia meant difficulties with language, not mathematics. Experience would, very quickly, change this impression.

Over the last 35 years, and the 23 years since we published the first edition of this book, we have accumulated experience, tried out new (and old) ideas, researched, read what little appropriate material was available (there is still far less published on learning difficulties in mathematics than on language (Gersten et al., 2007)), learned from our learners and have become convinced that difficulties in mathematics go hand in hand with the difficulties of dyslexia and, especially, that a different teaching attitude and approach is needed.

The first four chapters of this book look at some of the background that influenced the evolution of these teaching methods and continues to underpin their ongoing development. This requires a look at the learner, the subject (mathematics), the teacher and the pedagogy. The main mathematical focus of this book is number, primarily because this is the first area of mathematics studied by children and thus provides the first opportunity to fail. Our experience suggests that ...