Dyscalculia Pocketbook

Book excerpt: Are you an inchworm or a grasshopper? These are the descriptive terms applied by Professor Steve Chinn and colleagues to two distinct maths learning styles. While grasshoppers get the bigger picture and have a real facility with number, inchworms understand a great deal less. They follow mathematical procedures mechanically without understanding number and without the capacity to be flexible, creative or to check their work. Not all inchworms are dyscalculic, but all dyscalculics are inchworms. In the Dyscalculia Pocketbook you will find out exactly what dyscalculia is (and why it's not the same as maths anxiety); discover the possible causes of dyscalculia, its different subtypes and the learning difficulties it gives rise to; learn about different ways to identify dyscalculia and - importantly - find support strategies for supporting children who have this specific learning difficulty. Author Judy Hornigold nicely balances research, theory and practice. She reminds us about the three components of a mathematical idea and the six levels of knowledge but the Pocketbook is full of classroom examples and applications, recommended resources ( and how to use them), teaching ideas, tips, and games that will support and develop the maths ability of dyscalculic learners