Numbers & Counting AdaptationsBy: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com Number sense refers to a students fluidity and flexibility with numbers as well as the concept that numbers mean and an ability to perform mental math and make comparisons to math in the environment. This page describes adaptations for students who are blind or visually impaired. Developing the concept of number sense for math success and understanding is comparable to phonemic awareness for reading. It is important for older students to continue to work on this skill as well if they have not yet mastered it. To do this, it is important to provide many opportunities for students to explore groups of concrete & real objects and to compare the relative size of groups of things.
Math instruction in the primary grades should be as concrete as possible." ~ Bishop, Virginia. Teaching Visually Impaired Children. Charles C. Thomas. 1996. p.67. Students should have many opportunities throughout the day to count both small and large groups of objects; match the number of objects to braille or print numbers; and to talk about numbers discussing how many, how much more or less, and how many more are needed. Word problems can be a particular challenge for students. Keeping word problems as concrete as possible will help students who have a difficult time with problems completing mental imagery.
As students explore materials related to the unit, talk about similarities and differences in materials. In addition to providing many opportunities to count, encourage students to explore numbers within the environment. Personalized and interactive books can also be created with the student's name, age, birthday, phone numbers, and address to practice number skills specific to the student. Although hands on experiences with real objects is essential, it is also essential for students who are blind or visually impaired to memorize their math facts as it is for their sighted peers.
The Nemeth Braille Code is a math code for encoding mathematical and scientific notation linearly using standard six-dot braille cells for tactile reading. The most significant difference between Nemeth braille and standard literary braille, besides the new symbols, is the use of context-dependent rules that require shifting back and forth between the Nemeth code and the literary code. The most obvious change is the use of the dropped or lower-cell numerals rather than upper-cell ones in depicting numbers.Students who will be braille learners, will need to be exposed to and formally instructed in the Nemeth Code at an early age similar to when their sighted peers learn numbers.
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"To develop mathematical concepts, students must have numerous and varied interactions with their environment - exploring, comparing, and arranging real sets of concrete objects - before they move to symbolic representations." |
Compensatory SkillsConcept Development
Alternative Communication
Emergent Literacy
Access Print
Pre-Braille
Braille Code
Braille Formatting
Braillewriter
Slate & Stylus
Tactile Graphics
nemeth code
Access Classes
Abacus
Organization
Study Skills
Time Management
Listening Skills
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