Inquiry Project: Addressing Dyslexia in Math Education

 

I am interested in this topic because two of my sons have dyslexia and their high school experiences in mathematics have generally not been positive because of this. When one of my sons was in elementary I homeschooled him for a couple of years because I found that the school system could not accommodate for his learning differences. During that time I did some research on some tools to help students with dyslexia, but the main recommendation I found was to make sure his own self-confidence and esteem did not suffer. I learned that dyslexia has nothing to do with intelligence, and in many cases students with dyslexia will be able to find their own coping strategies to help them get through, or succeed at school. The most damaging effect of this learning difference was the toll it took on the student's confidence and self-image. Many of these students who are not diagnosed or given support believe they are not as intelligent as their peers. These students also encounter invisible hurdles that our education systems unnecessarily puts into place. Just giving a student larger squared paper can make a huge difference.

One of my sons consistently 'failed' mathematics in his grade 11 and 12 years, and was even asked to drop out of his grade 12 pre-calculus class. he remained in the class and won a math prize in his second year studying math at university. When I asked him what the difference was between high school and university math he told me that "high school math was difficult for me because the teachers made learning it difficult, but math at university is difficult in a fun way because it's the subject that's difficult." One of my main motivators for becoming a math teacher is because of my sons experiences and the realization of the difference a teacher's attitude can make in a child's future.

Presentation Link: Here