Refining the Focus

Here we are nearing the end of this blogging assignment and after speaking with the professor, I finally have a solid grasp on my end goal. In my school we essentially create our own curriculum. We don’t follow premade lesson plans unless we happen to find one we like. It is then usually adapted to meet the needs of our student population. In that sense my goal is to become an expert in content area best practices with technology. I’d love for a coworker to be able to say, “I’m having trouble helping Jimmy understand rhyming patterns.” And then in turn point that coworker in the direction of a technology program, device or activity they could try. I feel that the more I advocate for better uses of technology, the more my school will see the need to improve our current tech set-up.
Now that we’ve settled that (phew!) I’d like to move on to my final content area focus which is math. I don’t teach math this year although I have the previous 3. I do miss teaching the subject because I’ve always enjoyed math and I find for many kids, it is their strength which means they enjoy the learning process. There are many however, who struggle terribly with math and whose parents shake their heads and say things like, “we’ll make sure she has a debit card.” There are those who push math aside as being of secondary importance to things like reading and writing. I believe math is every bit as important as the other two subjects.
I’m a strong believer that kids need to use manipulatives as much as possible especially in math. I also believe that the objects don’t have to tie directly to a certain math concept (ie: fraction bars or clocks). At http://www.mindwareonline.com/MWESTORE/Home/HomePage.aspx? Teachers and parents can find an array of mind puzzles that kids love. This is not computer technology however it is definitely a form of technology in my opinion. Kids learn logic, problem solving, even engineering (like when building a marble run). In no classroom should computer technology replace hands on tools like the ones found at mindwareonline. Research does indicate that math disabilities can be improved with technology. LD online always has a vast array of information. At this site http://www.ldonline.org/article/6291 if you scroll down to the subheading “Developing fluency in math-delayed children using technology” you can find research assessing the use of technology for students with math disabilities. Very interestingly, the study found that “computerized drill and practice was ineffective in developing declarative fact knowledge in students with math difficulty” (Hasselbring, Goin, and Sherwood, 1986). I hear many teachers out there saying, “oops!” and we’ve had this research for the last 22 years? Most computer math games do little more than quiz students on math facts with fancy graphics or animated characters. No wonder it’s not helpful. Luckily, I have not been using such games. Hasselbring and Goin developed a program in 2005 called FASTT (Fluency and Automaticity through Systematic Teaching with Technology) which helps students develop “declarative fact knowledge.” The resulting computer program called FASTT Math has been shown to create positive results both for students with disabilities and those without. This makes it perfect for a mainstream classroom and a special education classroom. The same article goes on to describe research in increasingly complex areas of math however, I am going to leave the focus here for now because math basics are often the most difficult and also most vital for students with math disabilities. Without the basics, the rest become an insurmountable goal. I’ll be adding this program to my list of “best practices.”