Hello and welcome back to the What in the World is Dyscalculia podcast presented by
Educalc Learning.
I am your host for the podcast, Dr. Honora Wall.
And I feel like I need a tagline for this podcast.
I feel like I should say, I'm Dr. Wall and you should stop drilling basic facts because
I really need to get this message across to my fellow educators.
Stop drilling the basic facts for students who have dyscalculia.
Let them put down the flashcards.
Let them log off of IXL.
For the love of Pete, stop giving time tests of basic facts.
Dyscalculia is a specific learning disorder where the parietal lobe of the brain loses
math information over time, specifically basic math facts.
Period, hard stop, that's the definition.
That is the scientific wording that has been proven by research studies numerous times
over the years.
We have got to let go of the idea that students have to memorize their times tables in order
to do math.
But students have to be able to add and subtract fluently in their head using mental strategies
by a certain age or certain grade.
That's not how dyscalculia works.
I'm Dr. Wall and you should stop drilling basic facts.
That's the mantra.
That's what we want to repeat over and over and over again until my fellow teachers really
hear me on this one.
So I want to talk a little bit about why this is true, that you should stop drilling basic
facts and what you can do about it, both to help your students and to keep your job.
Let's face it, as educators, we don't get to fully decide everything that happens in
our classroom and everything that we're supposed to do in our roles.
We are beholden to certain things called state math standards.
At the time of this recording, Florida just rewrote theirs and had some new math standards
coming out in 2022 for this school year.
But other states revise theirs quite frequently as well.
I can tell you that I've seen the state standards for math for every state in the United States.
Really they're all based off of Common Core, so all of that brouhaha over Common Core and
whether it was working, whether it was appropriate, whether a state followed it, they all used
it as a framework.
Very few states step away in a few of their standards, but almost all the standards, the
majority come from that Common Core framework.
Probably misunderstood, Common Core really gives some broad definitions and generic ideas
that states can use to meet some mathematical concepts.
And its implementation was done incorrectly in a number of different ways.
Most clearly in the math materials that were designed, textbooks, workbooks, computer-based
programs that called themselves aligned with Common Core.
But that's a soapbox for another episode.
Let's stick with the standards as they relate to memorizing basic facts.
A lot of states have a standard somewhere in the elementary list that requires fluency,
requires memorization, or requires mental strategies.
Now fluency is a perfectly fine mathematical standard.
We can develop fluency even in our students who have specific learning disorders because
fluency means that you are fluid, that you have good pacing, that you are not being held
up by one or two facts that you can move through a set of questions based on basic math facts.
And this is entirely possible with the right support.
For a student with dyscalculia, that support is going to come from a times tables list,
preferably if they are doing their multiplication and division facts.
A 1-100's chart, preferably if they are doing adding and subtracting basic facts.
It's not going to come from the multiplication chart where you look inside the rectangle
to find the answer to a multiplication problem because those can be very confusing for students
with dyscalculia.
A list is much more approachable.
And in the early elementary grades up to third grade, having a times tables list and a 1-100's
chart will help students have fluency.
They are doing the same work as students who don't have dyscalculia, except our students
are working harder.
Students who don't have a specific learning disorder have an internal, almost like a math
butler, a math concierge who's running around inside the parietal lobe, finding answers to
those basic fact questions.
Our students who have dyscalculia don't have that math concierge in their head.
They have to go find the information on their own.
And that's what the outside external support is for.
They can find fluency using those support systems.
A standard that requires memorization or requires mental strategies is a very poorly
worded standard.
That is above my pay grade and above the pay grade of most people listening.
But if you are an educator in a position to volunteer or serve on the state panel reviewing
math standards, I encourage you to get involved in that field and let your voice be heard
and put in some information, some new research.
Bring it to the people who are writing standards.
Because standards that require memorization or require the use of mental strategies don't
take into consideration neuroatpical development.
For students with dyscalculia, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, students with attention deficit
or executive function disorders or processing speed issues, all of these neuroatpical aspects
of human development go against the idea of fluency through memorization only or through
mental strategies.
So sometimes we're stuck with those standards until we all get involved in work to change
them to be more aligned with the medical community research on neuroatpical development.
We already know what's going on for people who have these differences.
We just don't acknowledge them or address them properly.
So long term, let's change that conversation.
In the short term, what do we do in the classroom?
Well in a public school, if you are tied to your state standards and meeting those needs,
I'm going to tell you right now your students with dyscalculia are not going to meet the
standard of memorization.
And they're not going to meet the standard of mental math strategies.
You can let those two go.
Luckily, you probably have somewhere in the vicinity of who even knows how many other
standards they are going to have to meet, which they'll be able to do just fine.
If you would like them to meet the standards for fluency, then make sure they have the
tools to do so.
Replace that internal math concierge with an external support system.
And understand that not every student is going to meet every single standard in your school
year.
They can still pass the year.
And that's really where we find the impact of not giving students with dyscalculia the
right support.
If we refuse to let them use support tools that they need, in first, second, third grade,
they're going to have trouble mastering any sort of concepts that involve adding, subtracting,
measuring, multiplying, dividing.
We already have talked about the dyscalculia trifecta, time, money, place value, and the
problems that that creates.
Looking ahead in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade, now for students with dyscalculia, they
are still being forced to practice those early basic facts.
They're still being held back in their work because they're expected to work without an
external support tool like a list of the times tables.
And now they have an extra barrier while they're trying to learn about perimeter, area, volume,
about more advanced measurement, about the intricacies of adding fractions.
What is a fraction?
What in the world is a decimal?
How do you add and subtract those?
Now how do you multiply and divide these things?
Using those steps and procedures is its whole-owned set of instructional strategies and important
mathematical concepts.
What are the rules for working with numbers in different situations?
At that stage, it is vitally important that we're letting students use that multiplication
list or even better, let them use a calculator because that verifies the numeracy piece so
they can focus on the conceptual piece.
And this is where a lot of times students run into trouble in later elementary classes.
They can't show you mastery over the concept because they're getting hung up on those basic
facts.
They're tripping over them like untied shoelaces.
And we know that the reason for that is the parietal lobe losing math information over
time.
So our instructional strategies are not going to change the way the parietal lobe works.
Using flashcards or a computer-based program to drill facts is not going to change the
way the parietal lobe works.
Continuing to give a test on the two's times tables, well into fourth and fifth grade is
not going to change the way the parietal lobe works.
I'm Dr. Wall and you should stop drilling basic facts.
You should use the scaffolding and external support that's going to remove that barrier.
And then you can truly know whether or not your students understand perimeter area volume,
how to add fractions, how to create equivalent fractions, how to multiply and divide decimals.
If we want them to do that work, we need to remove those earlier barriers.
And the way to do that is through external support, not through expecting their brains
to work in a way that we know for a fact their brains don't work that way.
Within this discussion, I always have teachers mention the fact that you can't use that
calculator on the state assessment.
You can't use a times tables list on the state assessment.
That's not going to be true, which is one of the reasons why those state assessments are
a great way to prove that accommodations work.
Because when students can do the work in class with the right support and then not perform
as well in a situation where they don't have the support, guess what we've proven?
We've proven they truly have a learning disability.
We've proven that the accommodations make a difference and allow them to show mastery
without having unnecessary barriers in the way.
And for a lot of parents, especially, the goal is for their child to feel comfortable
and happy in math class.
The goal is to pass third grade, not to pass the third grade state assessment.
The goal is to stay out of remedial math classes because they're mastering concepts.
The goal is not to get a high level score on a state assessment.
So as educators, we have to think about those goals.
We have to talk with our administrators about those goals and we have to let parents know,
listen, we can use these accommodations and interventions in the classroom.
They're not allowed on the state assessment, so you're going to see a discrepancy in scores.
But your child is going to pass math class if they work and use their support tools properly.
And your parents will be thrilled.
If you're in a private school setting or a home school setting, you don't have the same
restrictions and adherence because you're not stuck following every one of those standards
in the same way.
You have a little more leeway and discretion and you're not stuck using those state mandated
assessments.
You have the choice of using them or you have the choice of using something else, something
that you create personally.
I'm a big advocate of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.
It's a great standardized nationalized test that gives us really good information and
is more accessible for students with learning disabilities in my personal and professional
experience.
But you have a little more leeway.
You're still not going to be using the same accommodations on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.
That's perfectly fine.
You're still going to use them when they count in the classroom, helping students master
content and topics.
Let go of mastering basic facts.
Let go of memorization.
It's a parlor trick and it's not a parlor trick that students with dyscalculia are going
to succeed at.
Let go of the idea that the only good math is done mentally because it's not true.
I'll take a student who works with precision and accuracy writing everything out on their
paper over one who does all the work in their head and refuses to show their work.
And any teacher past sixth grade is going to want math students to show work in a much
more meaningful way.
But if they've had five or six years of being told not to write it down because they're
supposed to do it in their head and then explain how they got their answer without ever having
that modeled, then they're not going to be ready to show their work later on.
So there are lots of reasons why precision and accuracy and using external tools helps
students succeed in math.
But for students with dyscalculia, it's vital.
It's just the beginning place.
The definition of this learning disorder is that the parietal lobe loses math information
over time, specifically basic math facts.
So the first starting place is to allow, use, instruct, and reinforce the correct support
tools for students with dyscalculia.
One to one hundred start for adding and subtracting, times tables list for multiplying and dividing.
I'm Dr. Wall and you should stop drilling basic facts.
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me, Honora, H-O-N-O-R-A at educalclearning.com.
Or go to our website educalclearning.com.
Leave me a message there.
Check out our courses.
We do have a free course called All About Dyscalculia, which has some generic information that's
useful for all parents and educators and students who want to know more about themselves as
learners.
And we have some specific content available for educators as well.
I just got back from speaking at a wonderful conference in Mississippi and had a great
time and I'm looking forward to an upcoming conference in Wisconsin.
If you'd like me to present to your group, live and in person, or through customized
online training, please reach out and let me know.
And if you'd like to talk about anything specific in future podcast episodes, I'm happy to answer
your questions because I love talking about dyscalculia and I love helping other educators
understand this very fascinating learning disorder.
The first thing I want you to understand is that you should stop drilling basic facts.
Make just that little change and your whole math class experience will be better.
And your students with dyscalculia will start to succeed in ways you could not have imagined
the week prior when you were still drilling those basic facts.
Thank you for listening to What in the World is Dyscalculia.
I'm Dr. Honora Wall and I look forward to hearing from you soon.