WEBVTT 00:00:00.820 --> 00:00:03.680 Hello and welcome back to What in the World is 00:00:03.680 --> 00:00:07.099 dyscalculia, the podcast where we talk all 00:00:07.099 --> 00:00:09.839 about the math learning disability. I'm your 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:12.820 host, Dr. Honora Wall, and you can probably hear 00:00:12.820 --> 00:00:16.280 I have a little bit of a cold or allergies today. 00:00:16.440 --> 00:00:18.539 I haven't determined exactly which one it is, 00:00:18.839 --> 00:00:24.239 but I set a goal for this year to be truly consistent. 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:27.760 With my podcast and social reels and if you're 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:29.780 going to be consistent, you're going to get the 00:00:29.780 --> 00:00:36.100 work done No matter what so here we are The podcast 00:00:36.100 --> 00:00:39.939 is really important and I'm excited to be more 00:00:39.939 --> 00:00:42.880 consistent with our episodes There's just so 00:00:42.880 --> 00:00:45.060 much to talk about and there's a lot of exciting 00:00:45.060 --> 00:00:48.700 things happening in the world of dyscalculia 00:00:48.700 --> 00:00:53.240 and dysgraphia and dyspraxia and neurodivergence 00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:56.539 in general so it's a very exciting time to be 00:00:56.539 --> 00:00:59.719 a part of this growing awareness around these 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:06.060 issues and I want to talk today about one issue 00:01:06.060 --> 00:01:09.799 that I need all parents and teachers to truly 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:12.500 understand and I need all students to really 00:01:12.500 --> 00:01:16.700 buy into what I'm talking about today because 00:01:16.700 --> 00:01:19.599 it's going to make a huge difference not only 00:01:19.599 --> 00:01:23.480 in your math performance, but also in your comprehension 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:28.400 and your self -confidence around math. Quick 00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:30.760 note, the What in the World is dyscalculia 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:35.700 podcast is put on by Educalc Learning and you 00:01:35.700 --> 00:01:39.939 can also find information about the math disability 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:44.640 through our nonprofit, the dyscalculia Training 00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:48.599 and Research Institute, educalclearning .com 00:01:48.599 --> 00:01:53.140 or thedtri .org. Lots of information on those 00:01:53.140 --> 00:01:58.159 sites for you as well. So let's get into today's 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:02.040 topic. I want to talk about three very specific 00:02:02.040 --> 00:02:08.469 reasons why you should always have students use 00:02:08.469 --> 00:02:10.969 their calculator or their external resource of 00:02:10.969 --> 00:02:14.330 any kind, I'll talk about them, and write down 00:02:14.330 --> 00:02:17.750 their work. Students, if you are not checking 00:02:17.750 --> 00:02:20.490 your calculations and you are not writing down 00:02:20.490 --> 00:02:23.509 your work, you have exponentially increased the 00:02:23.509 --> 00:02:26.669 chance of getting the wrong answer, even when 00:02:26.669 --> 00:02:29.310 you understand the math and you know what you're 00:02:29.310 --> 00:02:33.090 supposed to do. There's no reason to leave points 00:02:33.090 --> 00:02:36.090 on the floor of the classroom simply because 00:02:36.090 --> 00:02:40.689 you didn't verify your initial thought. That 00:02:40.689 --> 00:02:43.349 is sloppy work. Teachers, I need you to require 00:02:43.349 --> 00:02:46.289 precision and don't allow any kind of sloppy 00:02:46.289 --> 00:02:49.729 work. And I'll also point out for those of you 00:02:49.729 --> 00:02:52.710 who work with high achieving students, this is 00:02:52.710 --> 00:02:55.370 a really great habit to get into because everyone 00:02:55.370 --> 00:03:00.810 hits their wall when it comes to math. Students 00:03:00.810 --> 00:03:04.069 who are struggling are going to hit it earlier. 00:03:04.590 --> 00:03:07.960 Students who do Fantastic job and are always 00:03:07.960 --> 00:03:11.400 great at math in elementary and middle Sometimes 00:03:11.400 --> 00:03:13.419 even in high school. They're still gonna hit 00:03:13.419 --> 00:03:17.560 their wall. They could hit it in Algebra or geometry 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:19.659 or maybe they hit it when they get into college 00:03:19.659 --> 00:03:23.620 but the older a student is when they hit the 00:03:23.620 --> 00:03:26.719 wall in their math performance the harder that 00:03:26.719 --> 00:03:30.300 hit is because they've relied on the parlor trick 00:03:30.300 --> 00:03:33.659 of mental math and Just getting it super fast 00:03:33.659 --> 00:03:36.719 and not having to work at it and now they don't 00:03:36.719 --> 00:03:39.599 have the steady skills and the strategies to 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:43.080 back themselves up. And it's very damaging and 00:03:43.080 --> 00:03:45.599 disruptive. So we can avoid that by putting in 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:48.719 good habits earlier. And we know that as teachers, 00:03:48.759 --> 00:03:52.120 so let's talk about those good habits and the 00:03:52.120 --> 00:03:55.400 justification for them. I want students to be 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:58.840 using their grade -appropriate tool to check 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:02.840 calculations. Early grades, that could be a number 00:04:02.840 --> 00:04:08.719 line. Could be a 1 to 1 hundredths chart. Could 00:04:08.719 --> 00:04:11.780 be a multiplication list. I really hope you've 00:04:11.780 --> 00:04:14.360 printed out that old -fashioned times tables 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:18.300 list and you're using that for so many different 00:04:18.300 --> 00:04:20.860 topics. Listen to some of our other podcasts 00:04:20.860 --> 00:04:23.939 or watch our YouTube channel or get into some 00:04:23.939 --> 00:04:26.040 of the monthly training and you'll find out why 00:04:26.040 --> 00:04:28.579 and how to use that tool. Then we're gonna move 00:04:28.579 --> 00:04:32.620 into a calculator. We're gonna use formula sheets. 00:04:32.860 --> 00:04:34.959 to make sure we're writing down the right formula, 00:04:35.060 --> 00:04:37.720 putting numbers in their right spot, and we're 00:04:37.720 --> 00:04:42.680 checking our work as we go through. That's the 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:44.639 first thing I want students doing all the time, 00:04:44.660 --> 00:04:48.379 and here's why. We're going to use that in conjunction 00:04:48.379 --> 00:04:52.759 with writing down our work. That is a tough one, 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:55.920 especially if a student has comorbidity with 00:04:55.920 --> 00:04:58.220 dysgraphia, so it's going to look like a train 00:04:58.220 --> 00:05:02.189 wreck, and that's okay. unless you are the writing 00:05:02.189 --> 00:05:04.850 teacher you should not be grading on how nicely 00:05:04.850 --> 00:05:07.790 the numbers look anyway you're going to use graph 00:05:07.790 --> 00:05:10.329 paper or some lined paper and grids and help 00:05:10.329 --> 00:05:13.110 students kind of line up their work and practice 00:05:13.110 --> 00:05:16.009 that handwriting skill we're not writing down 00:05:16.009 --> 00:05:18.569 work so that it looks beautiful and to improve 00:05:18.569 --> 00:05:22.069 writing necessarily but we are doing it to activate 00:05:22.069 --> 00:05:24.829 different parts of the brain through that tactile 00:05:24.829 --> 00:05:28.069 experience and we're getting into a habit of 00:05:28.069 --> 00:05:31.139 writing things down so students can find their 00:05:31.139 --> 00:05:33.180 best handwriting, whatever it happens to look 00:05:33.180 --> 00:05:36.060 like for them, but we don't just give up on the 00:05:36.060 --> 00:05:39.040 skill if we know it's a struggle. We practice 00:05:39.040 --> 00:05:41.319 it and we don't grade on that because we know 00:05:41.319 --> 00:05:44.000 it's a struggle the student can't really control 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:48.579 if they have dysgraphia or some other fine motor 00:05:48.579 --> 00:05:51.220 skill issue. There's more than one thing that 00:05:51.220 --> 00:05:53.779 can make a person have problem with handwriting, 00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:56.879 but we do want to write down that work because 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:01.939 only doing work in our head It's very difficult. 00:06:02.339 --> 00:06:05.660 Super easy to get lost in your thoughts, to overwhelm 00:06:05.660 --> 00:06:09.160 your short -term memory, and to get the wrong 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:13.680 answer or lose your place. That's a second reason 00:06:13.680 --> 00:06:16.040 for writing down work. Let's say there's a distraction. 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:18.540 There's a noise in the room. Someone comes in 00:06:18.540 --> 00:06:21.259 the room. You think about something else. I lose 00:06:21.259 --> 00:06:23.279 my train of thought all the time. Every adult 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:25.540 does. So there's no reason we shouldn't expect. 00:06:25.560 --> 00:06:28.639 Children will as well. If I've written down what 00:06:28.639 --> 00:06:31.769 I'm doing, Then I can go look at what I did and 00:06:31.769 --> 00:06:36.009 see where I left off much more efficient Than 00:06:36.009 --> 00:06:38.529 trying to keep everything in your head. So the 00:06:38.529 --> 00:06:42.149 written work will help you keep track of where 00:06:42.149 --> 00:06:45.870 you are in a problem Help you keep track of your 00:06:45.870 --> 00:06:48.129 planning. How are you gonna finish this problem 00:06:48.129 --> 00:06:51.769 and It's a really useful skill. So here's our 00:06:51.769 --> 00:06:54.230 three reasons why we're gonna use that external 00:06:54.230 --> 00:06:57.470 tool and we're gonna write down our work This 00:06:57.470 --> 00:07:01.029 is a great way to show evidence of our thinking, 00:07:01.129 --> 00:07:06.110 which is a big trend in math right now. We've 00:07:06.110 --> 00:07:09.209 been doing this, capturing evidence of thinking 00:07:09.209 --> 00:07:11.930 through these very strange open -ended questions 00:07:11.930 --> 00:07:15.810 on a math problem. Even something as elementary 00:07:15.810 --> 00:07:22.670 level math as John has two red marbles, Sally 00:07:22.670 --> 00:07:25.769 has three blue marbles, how many marbles do they 00:07:25.769 --> 00:07:30.000 have in all? Explain your thinking. Well, the 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:33.740 thinking is that we added 2 plus 3. So if we 00:07:33.740 --> 00:07:37.620 need evidence of thinking, showing where we got 00:07:37.620 --> 00:07:40.240 those numbers on a number line or 1 to 100's 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:43.000 chart or through manipulatives, that's a demonstration. 00:07:43.379 --> 00:07:45.920 Not all demonstration and evidence has to be 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:49.199 written. It could be oral, it could be shown 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:52.939 through using tools, or it could be written down 00:07:52.939 --> 00:07:55.939 for a student who prefers using their words and 00:07:55.939 --> 00:07:59.860 writing out an explanation. It's also a great 00:07:59.860 --> 00:08:04.819 way for you to informally find evidence of thinking. 00:08:05.139 --> 00:08:07.180 You can look at what your students are doing. 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:12.360 You can watch them use the 1 to 100 chart number 00:08:12.360 --> 00:08:17.920 line multiplication list calculator and see what 00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:20.819 buttons are they pushing, in what order, where 00:08:20.819 --> 00:08:23.220 are they putting their finger, are they counting 00:08:23.220 --> 00:08:27.800 on Or are they starting to count from the square 00:08:27.800 --> 00:08:30.800 they're at? Are they able to make some loops 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:33.320 on that number line, kind of hop along, forward, 00:08:33.379 --> 00:08:36.440 or backward? Now you can see what's going on 00:08:36.440 --> 00:08:38.840 because you're watching them do it. The student 00:08:38.840 --> 00:08:42.139 has to be the one doing the work. Otherwise, 00:08:42.220 --> 00:08:44.639 you're going to have no idea what the student 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:48.480 actually knows. When they're writing it down, 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:52.639 you can see. Are they using the proper formula? 00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:54.879 Are they following the right steps and procedures? 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:59.480 Which step is a stumbling block for different 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:02.259 students? So for example, let's say I'm working 00:09:02.259 --> 00:09:06.039 with formulas at any grade level. We really start 00:09:06.039 --> 00:09:10.279 using formulas very early and I'll go with a 00:09:10.279 --> 00:09:12.659 straightforward one. Let's say I'm finding perimeter 00:09:12.659 --> 00:09:16.220 and I've been working a couple of days on adding 00:09:16.220 --> 00:09:18.700 different sides to get a total perimeter, but 00:09:18.700 --> 00:09:21.320 now We're doing an extension. We're doing the 00:09:21.320 --> 00:09:24.000 reverse. I have the perimeter. I'm looking for 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:26.879 a missing side. Well, first of all, working backwards 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:30.000 like that is an entirely different skill for 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:34.100 a student with dyscalculia. It's not a forward 00:09:34.100 --> 00:09:37.840 and back connection. It's not like a fact family. 00:09:38.139 --> 00:09:41.200 Those inverse operations can be separate and 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:46.679 unique situations. Separate and unique math topics 00:09:46.679 --> 00:09:50.220 for a student with dyscalculia. Understanding 00:09:50.220 --> 00:09:52.559 that can change your approach to teaching that 00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:55.600 lesson and having the student write down the 00:09:55.600 --> 00:09:58.139 formula put the numbers where they go and you 00:09:58.139 --> 00:10:00.139 can look over their shoulder watch them do it 00:10:00.139 --> 00:10:03.860 on a dry erase board and Hold those up so you 00:10:03.860 --> 00:10:06.600 can scan everyone in the class before they get 00:10:06.600 --> 00:10:09.200 started Did they put the total perimeter where 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:12.519 the P is in the formula or did they put it somewhere 00:10:12.519 --> 00:10:15.620 else? Now you can see evidence that they are 00:10:15.620 --> 00:10:18.389 using a formula appropriately putting numbers 00:10:18.389 --> 00:10:20.850 where they go, and that's going to set them up 00:10:20.850 --> 00:10:26.350 for success. That is true of our most basic to 00:10:26.350 --> 00:10:29.190 our most complex formulas. And if you are an 00:10:29.190 --> 00:10:32.429 older math student, hold on, make it through 00:10:32.429 --> 00:10:34.970 some of those complex formulas like distance 00:10:34.970 --> 00:10:37.570 or quadratic formula, because if you can get 00:10:37.570 --> 00:10:41.409 to physics, those formulas are much easier, much 00:10:41.409 --> 00:10:44.049 more straightforward. The ones in statistics 00:10:44.049 --> 00:10:46.470 aren't actually that bad. We just use a lot of 00:10:46.470 --> 00:10:50.669 weird notation at that point. And using notation 00:10:50.669 --> 00:10:54.450 or not for students with dyscalculia is something 00:10:54.450 --> 00:10:56.649 we've talked about in other podcast episodes. 00:10:56.690 --> 00:10:59.570 And you can read about the research from Dr. 00:10:59.750 --> 00:11:03.309 Katie Lewis out of Washington State for reasons 00:11:03.309 --> 00:11:07.389 why you as a teacher need to understand where 00:11:07.389 --> 00:11:09.629 students with dyscalculia struggle with those. 00:11:10.579 --> 00:11:14.399 Written math notations any who getting back to 00:11:14.399 --> 00:11:19.059 our topic today first reason why I want you using 00:11:19.059 --> 00:11:21.840 an external tool in written work is because it 00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:26.440 gives evidence of Thinking and it can help you 00:11:26.440 --> 00:11:30.019 correct students on the fly right away. Oh you 00:11:30.019 --> 00:11:34.220 put this number here. It's actually gonna go 00:11:34.220 --> 00:11:37.820 right here and Now we're set up more for success 00:11:37.820 --> 00:11:41.539 our second reason why we're going to do this. 00:11:41.940 --> 00:11:45.259 It lets the student confirm their prediction 00:11:45.259 --> 00:11:47.779 of what they think they're supposed to do, what 00:11:47.779 --> 00:11:50.360 they think the answer might be, what they think 00:11:50.360 --> 00:11:55.279 the next step is. If you have read any of the 00:11:55.279 --> 00:11:58.399 work about the way people think, the way the 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:01.820 brain works, any of our other podcasts, we've 00:12:01.820 --> 00:12:05.200 talked about this before. The human brain is 00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:07.679 constantly predicting what it thinks will happen 00:12:07.679 --> 00:12:11.860 next. in every situation, not just in math class. 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:15.940 This is how the human brain operates. We like 00:12:15.940 --> 00:12:17.620 to predict what we think is going to happen, 00:12:18.279 --> 00:12:22.159 and when we get confirmation that our prediction 00:12:22.159 --> 00:12:25.340 is accurate, we strengthen those neural pathways. 00:12:25.539 --> 00:12:29.120 When we get a confirmation that our thinking 00:12:29.120 --> 00:12:33.039 was incorrect, we weaken those neural pathways. 00:12:33.370 --> 00:12:36.090 If we never get confirmation, or if the confirmation 00:12:36.090 --> 00:12:39.490 comes the next day, or Monday after the test, 00:12:39.649 --> 00:12:43.009 or maybe never, then the brain doesn't really 00:12:43.009 --> 00:12:45.529 know what to do with that information. So an 00:12:45.529 --> 00:12:49.690 easy way for you to help strengthen some of the 00:12:49.690 --> 00:12:52.049 pathways and connections in the thought process 00:12:52.049 --> 00:12:55.610 for your student is to make sure they immediately 00:12:55.610 --> 00:13:00.610 check their work by using those external tools. 00:13:00.690 --> 00:13:03.629 And really by fourth grade. There are topics 00:13:03.629 --> 00:13:06.009 where you can start introducing a calculator 00:13:06.009 --> 00:13:09.629 to reduce cognitive load, allow the student to 00:13:09.629 --> 00:13:12.409 transfer the formula or the concept in the long 00:13:12.409 --> 00:13:15.330 -term memory without stumbling through numeracy 00:13:15.330 --> 00:13:20.110 issues, and now we're creating a very strong 00:13:20.110 --> 00:13:24.970 math foundation for the student. So we know they're 00:13:24.970 --> 00:13:28.870 going to predict. We want them to confirm either 00:13:28.870 --> 00:13:33.190 way immediately. For a student who's struggling, 00:13:33.769 --> 00:13:37.330 this can be the key to some really immediate 00:13:37.330 --> 00:13:41.210 growth. If they have low numeracy, weak math 00:13:41.210 --> 00:13:43.950 foundation, they're a multi -language learner, 00:13:43.950 --> 00:13:47.149 so they're trying to translate vocabulary in 00:13:47.149 --> 00:13:50.450 their head from one language to another, we want 00:13:50.450 --> 00:13:52.269 these external tools. It's going to strengthen 00:13:52.269 --> 00:13:56.909 the number part, so they can focus on the other 00:13:56.909 --> 00:13:59.289 parts that are important for them. And if they 00:13:59.289 --> 00:14:02.110 have dyscalculia, Their parietal lobe is going 00:14:02.110 --> 00:14:04.509 to lose math information over time, especially 00:14:04.509 --> 00:14:07.570 those basic facts. We know it to be true. So 00:14:07.570 --> 00:14:11.210 if you're teaching a student with known or suspected 00:14:11.210 --> 00:14:14.649 dyscalculia, here's an easy fix. Let them use 00:14:14.649 --> 00:14:16.830 their external tool, including the calculator, 00:14:17.129 --> 00:14:21.830 to check their work. If you don't, then what 00:14:21.830 --> 00:14:24.690 you're really assessing is their disability. 00:14:25.609 --> 00:14:28.049 You're not assessing their actual comprehension 00:14:28.049 --> 00:14:32.750 of math and their ability to do math, so That 00:14:32.750 --> 00:14:36.129 might be my strongest case personally, but even 00:14:36.129 --> 00:14:40.610 if they don't have dyscalculia the constant confirmation 00:14:40.610 --> 00:14:44.110 Ensures that the thing they remember is the right 00:14:44.110 --> 00:14:46.669 answer what they always have is the right answer. 00:14:46.690 --> 00:14:50.789 It's not a lot of wild guesses They have to be 00:14:50.789 --> 00:14:54.700 precise, and this is our third reason for using 00:14:54.700 --> 00:14:58.460 these external tools and for writing down our 00:14:58.460 --> 00:15:03.120 work. It's not just to take up a lot of extra 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:06.460 time or to add to the workload. There are specific 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:09.460 reasons tied to learning why this is important. 00:15:09.940 --> 00:15:12.360 And our third one is we're building a habit. 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:18.200 We are requiring precision and accuracy. And 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:21.059 that's vital. Trust and believe that if someone 00:15:21.480 --> 00:15:24.399 keep studying math and science and becomes a 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:27.240 chemist or starts working at NASA, I want them 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:31.000 to be precise and accurate in their work. There 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:33.519 is a stage where human lives truly depend on 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:36.980 it. If they go into medicine, I want them to 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:40.320 be precise and accurate. If they go into nutrition, 00:15:40.779 --> 00:15:43.159 I want them to be precise and accurate with the 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:46.600 advice that they're giving. We need precision 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:49.059 and accuracy. That doesn't come down from the 00:15:49.059 --> 00:15:54.190 ether. We don't become precise and accurate through 00:15:54.190 --> 00:15:58.210 osmosis. We do it through habit. These habits 00:15:58.210 --> 00:16:02.450 are built when we're younger. Do it in school. 00:16:02.769 --> 00:16:06.309 Get into the habit in first, second, third, fourth 00:16:06.309 --> 00:16:10.149 grade of writing down work, checking answers, 00:16:10.330 --> 00:16:13.750 and being precise before you hand things in. 00:16:15.429 --> 00:16:18.179 Don't take the work! until the student has written 00:16:18.179 --> 00:16:22.159 something down, until they have confirmed all 00:16:22.159 --> 00:16:24.679 of their answers. It should be very easy grading 00:16:24.679 --> 00:16:28.240 for you as a teacher for all of your classwork 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:30.779 and all of your homework because you don't accept 00:16:30.779 --> 00:16:33.659 it until they've gone through and confirmed. 00:16:34.919 --> 00:16:38.720 Hand it back. They can get a late score if they 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:41.940 don't do it on time. We've got to do that early 00:16:41.940 --> 00:16:44.470 to build the habit. And then by middle school 00:16:44.470 --> 00:16:47.049 and high school, we have a much larger group 00:16:47.049 --> 00:16:49.850 of students who know they have to show their 00:16:49.850 --> 00:16:51.950 work, who know they have to go check their answers. 00:16:51.990 --> 00:16:55.570 They already are doing it. So my elementary teachers, 00:16:55.629 --> 00:16:58.289 if you can start doing it now, then my middle 00:16:58.289 --> 00:17:00.169 school and high school teachers are gonna have 00:17:00.169 --> 00:17:03.610 a nicer experience in a couple of years. Middle 00:17:03.610 --> 00:17:07.170 and high school, it's a struggle to build those 00:17:07.170 --> 00:17:13.460 new habits. Hard stop. I usually don't like to 00:17:13.460 --> 00:17:16.500 put more work on our classroom teachers. But 00:17:16.500 --> 00:17:18.440 let's face it, that's work that's going to be 00:17:18.440 --> 00:17:21.420 important. It has to be done. And for struggling 00:17:21.420 --> 00:17:23.900 students, it might be the thing that saves them. 00:17:24.019 --> 00:17:26.019 It's certainly at any age going to be the thing 00:17:26.019 --> 00:17:28.819 that increases math performance, both in the 00:17:28.819 --> 00:17:31.980 classroom and on those ever important end of 00:17:31.980 --> 00:17:37.039 year state tests. So if you're looking to increase 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:40.480 test scores, your school if you're trying to 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:43.180 change your performance rating at your school 00:17:43.180 --> 00:17:46.039 then as an administrator You better be getting 00:17:46.039 --> 00:17:49.099 into every single math class and making sure 00:17:49.099 --> 00:17:52.779 everyone's writing their work and using Whatever 00:17:52.779 --> 00:17:55.819 external tool is best for them and for the topic 00:17:55.819 --> 00:18:00.880 to check their work If you always have an a because 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:03.420 you're always writing out your work and you're 00:18:03.420 --> 00:18:06.480 always checking your accuracy of your answers 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:10.789 then You're going to continue that anytime you're 00:18:10.789 --> 00:18:13.109 doing math work. If you're constantly guessing, 00:18:13.630 --> 00:18:15.390 and you really have no idea if you're right or 00:18:15.390 --> 00:18:17.589 wrong, and you kind of get the broad strokes, 00:18:17.970 --> 00:18:20.390 you have the basic idea of what's going on, but 00:18:20.390 --> 00:18:22.910 you're not looking for the little tiny details 00:18:22.910 --> 00:18:25.829 that are part of accuracy, well that's why you're 00:18:25.829 --> 00:18:30.089 failing algebra 90 % of the time, even for students 00:18:30.089 --> 00:18:33.230 with a math learning disability. My students 00:18:33.230 --> 00:18:37.730 do very well in algebra because we use external 00:18:37.730 --> 00:18:40.529 tools like a calculator to handle the numeracy 00:18:40.529 --> 00:18:43.950 part we write things down and we verify that 00:18:43.950 --> 00:18:47.529 our numbers are in the right place and then with 00:18:47.529 --> 00:18:51.849 that habit we have the mental space to look for 00:18:51.849 --> 00:18:55.990 negative signs we have the mental space to remember 00:18:55.990 --> 00:18:59.910 the rules of combining like terms and we have 00:18:59.910 --> 00:19:05.160 the capacity to look for inverse operations and 00:19:05.160 --> 00:19:07.400 we're not exhausted by the time we get to the 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:10.140 end of the work, we can go back to the original 00:19:10.140 --> 00:19:12.619 problem and say, did I find what they wanted? 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:15.500 Did they ask for the value of x? Or are they 00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:18.799 asking for the measure of this angle? Do I need 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:23.819 to apply the value of x that I found? This kind 00:19:23.819 --> 00:19:26.259 of work with longer steps and procedures can 00:19:26.259 --> 00:19:30.880 be exhausting. So if we want students to be complete 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:33.670 with their answer, then we need to make sure 00:19:33.670 --> 00:19:36.829 they're not mentally exhausted. And the habits 00:19:36.829 --> 00:19:40.369 of precision and accuracy are the tools that 00:19:40.369 --> 00:19:46.869 get us there. So, to recap, we've got to have 00:19:46.869 --> 00:19:50.950 students using their external tools longer than 00:19:50.950 --> 00:19:53.970 we think they should. You've got to get over 00:19:53.970 --> 00:19:57.049 this idea that mental math and speed is some 00:19:57.049 --> 00:20:01.730 kind of indicator of math accuracy and ability. 00:20:02.920 --> 00:20:06.259 They're not Mathematical thinking should be efficient 00:20:06.259 --> 00:20:09.599 and it should be precise I don't want to eat 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:13.599 a muffin from a baker who said, you know, I'm 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:17.779 pretty sure it was a quarter teaspoon of Baking 00:20:17.779 --> 00:20:20.839 powder like I don't know I put it in there No, 00:20:20.859 --> 00:20:23.279 I'm if I'm paying for a muffin. I want it to 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:25.319 be really good I'm gonna need you to be a little 00:20:25.319 --> 00:20:28.819 more precise with your measuring Same thing in 00:20:28.819 --> 00:20:32.279 math class. If I want students to be really good 00:20:32.279 --> 00:20:35.119 at math and to feel good when they're doing math 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:41.160 and to understand and perform well in math, I 00:20:41.160 --> 00:20:43.579 need to let them use their external tools. I 00:20:43.579 --> 00:20:45.839 need to have them write down their work. If I'm 00:20:45.839 --> 00:20:50.019 going to be accurately grading what someone knows, 00:20:50.240 --> 00:20:54.539 I need to see it. I need to hear it. I need to 00:20:54.539 --> 00:20:59.750 have them show me and tell me. Ridden work. Here's 00:20:59.750 --> 00:21:01.849 why you're going to do it. It gives you better 00:21:01.849 --> 00:21:05.250 evidence of student thinking. For the student, 00:21:05.369 --> 00:21:07.930 it lets them confirm their predictions and create 00:21:07.930 --> 00:21:10.849 stronger neural pathways for the right answers. 00:21:12.049 --> 00:21:16.049 And over time, it builds the habit of being precise 00:21:16.049 --> 00:21:20.390 and accurate. Very important, not only in math, 00:21:20.829 --> 00:21:24.410 but really in any field. If you would like to 00:21:24.410 --> 00:21:27.200 know more about this topic, Or if you want to 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:29.819 know more about the research behind these ideas, 00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:34.160 get on Google Scholar, find some research articles. 00:21:34.299 --> 00:21:36.920 We're always trying to build more of these onto 00:21:36.920 --> 00:21:40.259 the website so that you can go back to the original 00:21:40.259 --> 00:21:45.079 source material and check out our websites, educalclearning 00:21:45.079 --> 00:21:52.259 .com or you can look at thedtri .org for more 00:21:52.259 --> 00:21:55.859 information. I'm Dr. Honora Wall. I appreciate 00:21:55.859 --> 00:21:58.700 you being part of the What in the World is Dyscalculia 00:21:58.700 --> 00:22:01.799 family, and please send me your questions, comments, 00:22:02.039 --> 00:22:05.940 concerns, and ideas for future podcast episodes. 00:22:06.900 --> 00:22:08.640 Thanks for listening. Talk again soon.