by Anna Super, guest blogger
Growing up with Dyscalculia was lonely. Everyone expects students not to like math and, traditionally, many people make the false assumption that more girls dislike math than boys. So when I voiced my concern and stress over learning math I was usually greeted with a smile and told I only had math anxiety.
Dyscalculia is a learning disability that affects mathematics. Some students with Dyscalculia struggle at arithmetic but do well at higher math and some are fine at arithmetic and struggle with higher math. I am unfortunate enough to have trouble with it all. Math and my brain just never clicked no matter my hard work or my positive attitude towards the subject. Even as an adult, I have to find ways in my life to compensate for my difficulties manipulating numbers and realize that in many aspects of my financial life I need to be comfortable with hiring a professional.
Since my Dyscalculia has always been significant, I would have struggled with math no matter how it was taught, but I feel that if I would have been able to study math my own way I would have had more success, learned and retained more, and been better at mathematics today than I am now. When I think of the most tedious and stressful time learning something in math, I immediately think of long division. It was very challenging for me. There are so many seemingly unrelated parts to long division to me. Division, multiplication, subtraction, lining up the columns, remember what step I just did last, it was a task that was impossible for me to do on my own.
It seems that most people think the best way to train someone in something that takes steps is to let them practice on their own. This goes for job training as well as mathematics, and in both cases this does not work for me. Leaving me to learn step based work, such as long division would result in me sitting at my desk, pencil in hand, paper in front of me, and nothing getting done because I wouldn’t be able to remember the next step. To learn long division, I needed to sit next to someone who reminded me of the step over and over as I worked on my problem set. I needed the use of a calculate so I didn’t get bogged down due to my difficulties in computation, and I needed to use graph paper, because otherwise I would not be able to line my columns up correctly.
This is what the special education department did for me as a student, allowed me to practice all my long division work sheets with the learning special or teachers aid leading me through it, allowed me access to a calculator, and had me use graph paper. Looking back I think they could have gone a step further to help me learn the material to the best of my ability.
It would have helped if I only had a few problems to work on for each homework assignment, maybe only four per night. A parent or tutor would lead me through the problems and when we were finished I would be allowed to write a narrative about how I did each problem (I also have a nonverbal learning disability, so using words is the best way for me to internalize information. If your child with Dyscalculia also has Dyslexia, for example, perhaps pictures would work best). While I wrote my narrative (or your child drew their pictures) the parent or tutor I was working with would be looking over my shoulder and correcting me each time I missed a step, or was simply lost. I would be able to keep these narratives (or pictures) and I would go over these the next night with a parent or tutor. As the week progressed toward the test, I would alternate each night from trying new problems with help one night and writing a step-by-step narrative the next night, then spending time the following night reading and studying the narratives with a parent or tutor. If long division had been taught in a way that worked better for me, I think I would have had much better memories of learning the skill and be more competent at it today.
Anna is a freelance writer, taking on projects as varied as stories about her ups and downs with NLD and Dyscalculia to copywriting projects that help businesses and organizations connect their products and services to their customers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in journalism from Keene State College and was a staff reporter at the former newspapers The Connecticut Valley Spectator and the Argus Champion. Through her writing, Anna hopes to bring more awareness to learning disabilities, especially the little known ones she has, and help others with learning disabilities succeed in their lives. Anna can be reached at Anna.Super01@gmail.com.