I believe that we should be providing children with the 'tools' to enable them to move into the 'empowerment zone'. This means they would be able to actually participate in the learning process because they have some idea about what numbers are and what we can do with them as well as how to combine numbers and know their totals. Then we have to make sure this knowledge is embedded in the child's long-term memory so he/she can access it instantly, not by figuring it out every time, using up space in working memory, when this is required for other processes.
Although I am still building these 'tools' with Oliver, the teaching programme is flexible, yet logical, is visual and hands-on and IS moving him forward. This requires that I have many 'balls' in the air at any given time. AND, regardless of having NO understanding about numbers when we began our sessions, Oliver is more and more able to cope with it all.
There are opportunities for me to build and broaden any new understanding, as well as provide practice for previously learned topics. Whilst there was much reticence from Ollie with vocalising - an important part of the programme - he is doing more and more of this spontaneously. AND he is already showing me examples of being empowered by his new knowledge. The purpose of this blog is to diseminate information week by week of my student's progress, and although there are a few weeks of reporting still to post to demonstrate the journey - I am finding some really exciting moments that can only be described as magical.. Here's a preview of what happened during our 16th lesson or approximately one school term... You also need to factor in that this student has spent the past ten years in full time education where he made little or progress. So yes, magical and it shows that pupils with SEN can make sense of numbers.
Magic Moment... At the end of last weeks lesson, we had a wonderful experience whilst working with 2-digit numbers.. "I know!" (you will see in the following blog posts how this topic was brought into my teaching). Ollie announced that he was 15 and his sister was 23, I asked him to show me both numbers in the Dual Board. Then I asked him if he would like to find out how much older Anna was than him. Ollies eyes lit up, and eagerly said yes so we proceeded to do so. This led him to ask about his mum and dads age and wanted to figure out this difference too. However, the magic came from Oliver's ability to transfer his thinking when he asked "What if Mike was 85 how old would mum be? and a further "What if Mike was 100 how old would mum be?"
Back to the 4th lesson which began with work in the Counting Board - Oliver is now 95% accurate when naming the Blocks and the Pattern Boards by their number names, and 95% accurate when ordering the blocks. Early vocabulary is in place and today he showed accurate understandng of new words and phrases; 'most'. 'least', 'how many more'?', 'how many less/fewer?' 'whose in the lead?' Given this progress, I am keen to introduce numerals and link them to our current work as follows:
The Counting Board - This is great because it has a vertical guide board with written numerals 1 to 10 to draw on. Charlotte was free today and so after the teaching aspect to introduce numerals 1 to 10, we all played the 'snake game' which is brilliant for reinforcing quantities. Oh you want to know how to play the game? okay... select a numeral, name it, place it correctly in the board, name the block below, if all this is correct the pupil takes the block and begins to build a 'snake'. This can be played with two teams, or two or three players. After each go, I can ask who is in the lead? who has the most, how many more do you have than (whoever is playing). With each next go, there is always a diferent configuration and so the reinforcement continues..... Note: Oliver was able to tell me the correct number of units of difference, at a glance, even if the last block was 'partitioned' demonstrating that Oliver was seeing 'size' of units beyond the equal point of both 'snakes' regardless of colour.
Consolidation and transferance - We do this by making connections within individual teaching strands matching blocks and pattern boards, then blocks, pattern boards semi abstract cards, finally, blocks or pattern boards with numeral cards to 10, ultimately games with numerals alone.
Note: Oliver's ability to order the boards to 10 is almost there, although he is still self-correcting the 7 and 8, or 9 I am pleased with progress and so feel Oliver is now ready to be introduced to odd and even number concepts in the next session. Also, because the pattern boards were designed for this purpose, Oliver will continue to get further practice in ordering patterns to 10.
Combinations of 10 - Olivers development in other areas of number knowledge is in advance of his bonds to 10 learning. Therefore I am giving this more attention and it will be the task at home, and if possible, during the numeracy lesson at school. It should be the first task as the student will be fresh and keen. I want to give Oliver more modelling and more opportunity to articulate the bonds - 'seeing', 'saying' and 'doing'. Remember for facts to embed in long term memory the student needs to have both addends and the total, contained in a number sentence, DO NOT simply accept an answer, eg: you might say "What does 8 need to make 10? and your student says... 8... The number is not attached to anything and will quickly fade away. Taking the role of the 'teacher' means that your student has to begin the task and then ask you to do something..... We also incorporate the game where blocks 1 - 9 are placed on a surface nearby. The student selects a block from our group on the table then is asked to go and find the partner/number that makes 10. This encourages memory and you will see examples of developing receptive language when the task is completed correctly.
Telling the Time - We used clock face 2 as a means of building five minute blocks of time. We used cards to set the hour hand and then the spinner with template in 5s to set the minute hand. The 5-pattern cards where then used to physically build that moment in time (30). Using the red outer numerals we said the numerals together 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30. This is to be our first introduction to counting in fives.
Handwriting practice - Include a worksheet. Whilst our focus here is mainly 5, 7, 8, Oliver wanted to write a row of all numbers to 11! I gave Oliver a sentence to say out loud as he wrote each numeral.
(5): Down and round, give it a hat!
(7): On the DOT, straight to the cupboard, STOP and DOWN!
(8): Big 'S' up and join.....
Oliver was writing the 7 in reverse. to encourage the correct strokes I find that by first making a dot, a pupil can place his pencil on the dot then move the pencil to the right horizontally, but he needs another prompt to know the direction to go in. Look at what is on the child's right side and use that. For us it is a large cupboard. Threfore I demonstrated the action - placing my pencil on the DOT I say "On the dot, straight to the cupboard, STOP and DOWN," without taking the pencil off the paper. He quickly got the hang of it, completing a full row or 7's. Next we tackled 8, by writing a large S, pausing then diagonally going up and close. These two parts work really well. We tried drawing the curves and diagonal stroke with our hands in the air, so the 'S' can be a big as possible... You can also try writing in the sand or on smooth sandpaper or any other rough surface. These physical experiences always help! Oliver's 8's were an instant success!! Then Oliver thought we should look at 2 which toppled!!!! "We had such fun trying to think up the phrases .... They became 'Mike's fat belly on a skate board'. !!!! don't knock it if it works!!! haha.
For writing homework Oliver was given some writing exercises in Pupil's Workbook 2.
Feedback on all lessons is always written up and sent to parents as well as the teaching assistant to follow my lead in school. It's a good partnership.
Vikki Horner
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