Annotated Bibliography_ Week 3

Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022

Chinn, S., McDonagh, D., Elswijk, R. v., Harmsen, H., Kay, J., McPhillips, T., Power, A., & Skidmore, L. (2001). Classroom studies into cognitive style in mathematics for pupils with dyslexia in special education in the netherlands, ireland and the UK. British Journal of Special Education, 28(2), 80-85. 

This study is the third year of a study of dyslexic students in Netherlands, England and Ireland in Mathematics. The previous studies found that dyslexic students in all three countries had difficulty reading and recalling multiplication facts; and students’ preferred areas of mathematics differed by country. This study looked at two cognitive styles: “grasshopper” (intuitive and flexible) and “inchworm” (logical reasoning and fixed). They found that there is a prevalence for “inchworm” style among dyslexic students but the ratio between these two styles differed by country indicating a dependence on teaching style. It’s suggested that connecting math to reality and encouraging flexibility when problem-solving. 

Monday, Jan. 17, 2022

Malmer, G. (2000). Mathematics and dyslexia-an overlooked connection. Dyslexia (Chichester, England), 6(4), 223-230. 

The author draws on his years of personal experience to identify a connection between dyslexia and mathematical ability. This paper is important in my inquiry because it examines various causes for students’ difficulty with mathematics, how these may manifest in the classroom, and practical strategies for support and encouragement. Although the author, a retired teacher in Sweden, wrote the paper 20 years ago, many of his strategies involve theories that are being advocated today: advocating process over product, encouraging critical thinking over an axiomatic approach that relies heavily on memorization. I’m interested in doing further research into the centers in Sweden that the author mentions that have been established to support and teach compensatory strategies to students with dyslexia.