Adaptive/Assistive Technologies Overview for Mathematics
Students with Cognitive Difficulties
FASTT Math
This software program was created to assist students in developing mathematical fluency. It does this by strengthening recall of basic facts and not procedural counting strategies. In order to make retrieval of facts from memory only, a link between the fact and the answer must be established and stored in long term memory (Hasselbring, Lott and Zydney, 2006).
Anchored Instruction
Hasselbring, Lott and Zydney (2006) also discuss anchored instruction. Anchored instruction is an approach to teaching mathematics in real-world situations. Video is used to present a story that will require students to learn how to solve mathematical problems. This can help students understand the importance of the lesson and prevent that from being a roadblock to learning. One of the best known programs in anchored instruction is The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury, developed by Vanderbilt University.
Students with Physical Difficulties
MathPad
This program allows students to enter basic math problems and solve them. For students who have difficulty writing, they can do these problems with a minimal amount of keystrokes required. The program can be run with the IntelliKeys USB, which uses overlays to create customized keyboards. You can even create your own overlays to adapt to your students' needs.
MathType
MathType is a program that allows for entering of equations into software programs like Word. It can be used with the keyboard or mouse and can provide a larger target click area to make it easily accessible by people with all types of mobility challenges (Transforming LaTeX documents). It also has handwriting recognition capabilities. Therefore, students who are without the use of their hands, but have learned to write by other means, can use this feature to enter data.
Students with Sensory Difficulties
Scan/read systems
Scan and read systems are devices that will scan a page or document and read it to the user. If a student is not totally blind, but has low vision, it can be adapted to meet his or her specific needs. In today's world, where problem solving ability is necessary and the ability to read in math is almost as important as the ability to do the math, this type of technology can increase a sight-impaired student's opportunities.
The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics
The Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics was designed by Abraham Nemeth in 1952. The code was designed to ease the transcriber's task by not requiring him or her to understand the underlying mathematics in order to accurately translate the material (Nemeth Braille, 2014). There are Braille tools available to generate the code needed (What is Nemeth Code?).
At-Risk Students
Student Response Systems
Student response systems, or clickers, are tool that allows all students to respond to a problem by pushing a(some) button(s). Usually there are options to have multiple choice, true/false, text entry or likert scale responses. Since students are entering their answers on a handheld device, it encourages more participation as students do not automatically shutdown after someone answers, which is a common problem with verbal responses. This makes them extremely valuable when working with at-risk students. I have used them for much of the past 5 years and it had a pretty dramatic effect on my students from the very beginning. While I won't attribute success solely to this technology, our GED passing rate increased from less than 60% to over 68% during that time.
Computer Based Instruction
Computer based instruction is something that I began to look into recently. This is because of the change of the GED test to a computer based test with a heavier emphasis on higher order thinking skills. This will impact how we need to tech our students. They will each need a course of study tailored to their specific needs in each area. Without having specific tasks based upon their areas of weakness and designed to prepare them to pass the GED test, they will put forth little effort. However, when they see that what they are working on is geared to their own difficulties, they are more open to learning. Below is a video description of a program we are going to use in my school.
Gifted and Talented Students
The Math Forum
Gifted and talented students can be overlooked in a classroom. Generally, this is due to a lack of time or materials for them. Places like The Math Forum are a great sites for them to explore because they can become acquainted with math skills that are beyond the scope of the course they are taking. Gifted students can become board doing more of the same problems only with different numbers. They need to be challenged. They should be given an opportunity to expand upon the current lesson even if the other students are not ready for that level of mathematics. The Math Forum is a place where students can seek out more advanced skills.
Adaptive Math Programs
Another opportunity for students to move ahead at a faster pace is by using an adaptive math program. These are computer based programs that use artificial intelligence to determine when a student has mastered a lesson and is ready to move on. Therefore, gifted students can continue moving forward when they are ready. Like many assistive technologies, these programs can be used with students who are gifted and talented or students who need remedial help. While they can not entirely replace the teacher, they can provide an opportunity for the students to learn on their own until the teacher is available.
References
Hasselbring, T., Lott, A., & Zydney, J. (2006). Technology-supported math instruction for students with disabilities: Two decades of research and development. LD OnLine: The world's leading website on learning disabilities and ADHD. Retrieved from
http://www.ldonline.org/article/6291/
Nemeth Braille. (2014, March 30). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemeth_Braille
Transforming LaTeX documents: software and processes: MathType. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/mash/maths-access/transformations/mathtype.html
What is Nemeth Code? (n.d.). The Alliance for Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Retrieved from http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/articles?42
http://www.ldonline.org/article/6291/
Nemeth Braille. (2014, March 30). Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemeth_Braille
Transforming LaTeX documents: software and processes: MathType. (n.d.).
Retrieved from http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/mash/maths-access/transformations/mathtype.html
What is Nemeth Code? (n.d.). The Alliance for Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Retrieved from http://www.washington.edu/doit/Stem/articles?42