Reaching All Learners

In Mathematics Education
 Why Does Inclusion Matter?
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom emphasizes that all people
are to be treated equal regardless of any mental or physical disability. This
means all students have a right to an equal education.

When students of all exceptionalities are included in the

mainstream classroom, everyone's education is enriched
as students learn to work together and grow together.

“All students should have equitable access to learning, opportunities for

achievement, and the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of their
educational programs” (BC Ministry of Education, 2016).

Inclusion “requires a school climate that is a psychologically inclusive

space where all students better understand one another, feel safe and
supported, have positive relationships, and are more respectful and
accepting of each other” (Lerman, 2013).

“Those with special educational needs must have access to

regular schools which should accommodate them within a child centred
pedagogy capable of meeting these needs” (Salamanca, viii).
References:
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2016).Special Education Services: A Manual of Policies, Procedures and Guidelines. Victoria,
BC.
Government of Canada. (1981). Canadian charter of rights and freedoms.
Lerman, B. (2013, May). Special Education: Promoting More Inclusion at Your School [Interview by M. J. Elias].
The Salamanca statement and framework for action on special needs education.(1994). Salamanaca: Ministry of Education and Ashlee Gau
 Who are Special Education Students?
Ministry Designations
Students with special needs are, simply put, exceptional students. They are students who both are gifted or who may have a disability. It is
important to recognize that “exceptional learners are not their exceptionalities; rather, they are children and adolescents with
exceptionalities” (Hutchinson, 19). In BC, students receive basic funding per pupil. Students, with a low incidence designations receive
additional funding as reflection in the chart below:
While not all students with
ministry designations will receive
funding, all will have an
individualized education plan to
ensure growth and success within
the classroom and school
community.

The teacher should work in

collaboration with the student,
parents, and support staff to
create an environment & program
that ensures the student
experiences both academic and
social success. This can best be
accomplished by adopting a
universal design for learning.
Source: British Columbia Teachers Federation (2017). Priorities for Public Education. Retrieved May 2021, from
https://bctf.ca/publications/BriefSection.aspx?id=46986
References:
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2016). Special Education Services: A Manual of Policies, Procedures and Guidelines. Victoria, BC: Author.
Hutchinson, N. L. (2017). Chapter 1. In Inclusion of exceptional learners in Canadian schools: A practical handbook for teachers. Toronto: Pearson. Ashlee Gau
Response to Intervention
In the Response to Intervention model (RTI),
there are three tiers of support.

Tier 3 - Very few of your students (1-5%) will be

in tier 3. They need intensive individual
intervention due to persistent challenges.

Tier 2 - A few of your students (5-10%) will be in

tier 2. These students need targeted small
group instruction to meet the outcomes you are
teaching. This may be for a short time, or
throughout the year.

Tier 1 - This is where most of your students (80

- 90%) will fall. This is instruction delivered to
the whole class.

Image from https://studyskills.com/spedadhd/rti-tier-3-interventions/ Lisa Marta

Tier 1 - Universal Supports for Math
LisMarta Tier 1 supports are solid
instructional methods, that
help all students do their best.

● Chunking of concepts into small sequential pieces. Instructional time is done in small sections.
● Direct modelling of what to do. (Explicit teaching of skills)
● Provide enough thinking time during lessons
● Give concise, clear directions
● Providing for guided and independent practice
● Use of non-verbal feedback (Ex. thumbs up/thumbs down). Give TIMELY feedback.
● Learning through game play
● Using visuals
● Using manipulatives
● Partner or small group work
● Adaptive spaces - students can work where they feel they will learn best
● Providing brain breaks for students
● Provide graphic organizers
● Teaching and regularly using growth mindset language

Image taken from: Lisa Marta

https://studentbehaviorblog.org/multi-tiered-frameworks-understanding-rti-pbis-mtss/
 Inclusive Assessment
What Do Excellent Assessors Do?
● Pre-assessments to inform teaching.
● Formatively Assess to modify instructional pace & strategy or note misconceptions.
● Give relevant and timely feedback.
● Develop growth mindsets through reflective assessment.
● Consider the influence of math anxiety.
● Provide reasonable accommodations and alternative assessments as needed.
(UNSW)
● Reflect on the purpose of assessment. What is this assessment supposed to
accomplish? What’s the best way to present the assessment to my students while
considering individual needs & learning styles?
● Use multiple types of assessment.

"The way we assess students plays a large part in the mindsets they develop.” (Boler & Confer)

Boaler, Jo & Amanda Confer. Assessment for a Growth Mindset. Stanford University https://www.youcubed.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1439422682-AssessmentPaper.pdf
Jamie Koch
 Inclusive Assessment…
…aims to provide equal academic opportunities for all students.

… incorporates diversity and flexibility where it is fair and appropriate.

… is not synonymous with a lowering of academic standards.

(The University of New South Whales (UNSW). Assessing Inclusively. https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/upload-files/assess-inclusively_1.pdf)

Observation
Multiple Self Evaluation
of games & Technology
Exit Tickets Prodigy
Ways to Reflection activities
SumDog
Assess Questions Mathletics
Kahoot
Socrative
Allow use of words, Explain Everything
Interviews & pictures, demonstrations, Short Seesaw
Class etc. to show quizzes Zorbits
Discussions understanding
 Monika Schultz

Universal Design for Learners - Learning for all

Strategies designed for the diverse classroom!

Provide
multi-media
versions of
Clearly post concepts
Offer multiple lesson goals
ways to show
what students
know
Provide Value
feedback diversity in Offer flexible
often learners work spaces

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/treatments-approaches/educational-strategies/5-examples-
of-universal-design-for-learning-in-the-classroom
 Monika Schultz

Examples of Math in an UDL Classroom

● Use a math word wall to display math vocabulary
● Include visuals on the word wall
● Use math manipulatives to solidify concept
● Have students work collaboratively (in pairs or in small groups)
● Allow students to represent their math knowledge anyway that
makes sense to them (pictorially, orally, with a model, on a
whiteboard, etc.)
● Use kinesthetic activities when possible to reinforce number concept
● Play math games

Learning for all!

https://sites.google.com/site/interventionrx/tier-1-toolkit/math-interventions
 Creating easy access points for all learners

- Creating easy accessible entry points for all types of learners is essential for
engagement
- By targeting our outlier students (those falling behind) we are still providing
needed education to the entire class but in a way all students can engage in
- Then allow our students to progress at their own pace through leveled
material, allowing more autonomy in their learning
- Math specifically can pose many learning challenges and can change with
each concept. By starting with familiar or accessible material all students can
enjoy success and build upon that entry point.
 How does this look in the classroom?
Is Bowling like Teaching?
- Start with the first step in a concept ex.
Multiplication - identifying numbers - best
introduced as a quick activity (counting items
handed out - I like using M&M’s), slowly increase
the difficulty in the activities you ask the students
to do with the manipulative. This is also best done
in partners (groups can make visual assessment
tricky).
- As you gradually increase the difficulty of the tasks
observe which students might have reached the
limit of their previous knowledge
- I then structure leveled Math for students to build
upon their skills based on the skill level visually
assessed, offering students the autonomy to start
at a level they feel comfortable with the hope they
move up a level during the unit
- I have found this is a great structure that can be
used in all units and helps enforce growth mindset
- best done after explaining the goal is to move up
a level not be perfect or reach the top level. This
also helps gifted students as challenge work is
provided for them to work at their level.
 Blended/Distance/Online Learning
Blended- featuring more than one mode of delivery, usually a blend of
in-person and distance instruction
Distance- Remote instruction only with with minimal or no in-person
interaction

Most forms of blended or distance education now feature and rely on the
use technology and internet connectivity
How do we best support students when we can’t always be
in the same physical space?
 Relationships
❏ Building relationships with individual students (and
between them) is paramount to successful online
instruction
Virtual Classroom
❏ Can you replicate the feel of your physical classroom?
Can you make it even better?
❏ Provide regular updates/posts to build habits
❏ Serves as gathering space, assignment board, inbox, &
material repository

Assessment and Feedback Synchronous vs. Asynchronous

❏ Provide choice in assessment where possible ❏ Be more mindful of what needs to happen
❏ Offer multiple ways of submitting assessments and synchronously
provide feedback in multiple ways to gauge what works
❏ Can you record lessons for asynchronous viewing?
best for each student
❏ Make tech your value-added friend
❏ Reversed classroom

Digital Tools Engagement

❏ Virtual manipulatives ❏ Opening tasks
❏ Virtual whiteboard ❏ Group work
❏ Printables
❏ Seek regular feedback
❏ Emulators
❏ Math equation software or plug-ins
❏ Select activities that encourage participation
 Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology
· Assistive technology ranges from low- to high-tech.
· Assistive technology can be used in two ways: to support learning and to bypass a challenging task such as handwriting.
· To be effective, assistive technology needs to be embedded within quality instruction.

Computer-assisted Instruction
· Computer-assisted instruction provides students with dynamic feedback.
· Computer-assisted instruction can help students practice spelling and multiplication drills.
· To prevent the technology from being a distraction, students need to be taught how to use technology to support their
learning.

Software
· Text-to-speech software helps students to bypass the task of decoding words. Seeing individual words highlighted as the
text is read aloud may help to improve students’ sight word vocabulary.
· Speech-to-text software bypasses the tasks of handwriting and spelling, allowing the student to concentrate on
developing their ideas and planning their work.
· Speech-to-text software bypasses the tasks of handwriting and spelling, allowing the student to concentrate on
developing their ideas and planning their work.
Stacey Brown
Assistive Technology. (2021, 05 07). Retrieved from LDRFA: https://www.ldrfa.org/assistive-technology/
Assistive Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities. (2021, 05 07). Retrieved from LD@school: https://www.ldatschool.ca/assistive-technology/
Cortez, M. B. (2021, 05 07). 3 Ways Assistive Technology Can Help Students with Autism. Retrieved from Ed Tech Focus On K-12:
https://edtechmagazine.com/k12/article/2016/08/3-ways-technology-can-help-students-autism
Using Assistive Technology to Teach Social Skills. (2021, 05 07). Retrieved from Assisstive Technology:
https://assistedtechnology.weebly.com/social-training-and-at-hannah-edgette.html
You’ve Got This
Working with a child who is Visually Impaired
(Special Needs designation category E)
Steve Marta
● Take a deep breath. It’s going to be alright
.
● Keep the classroom familiar and safe.
When you do a desk or furniture change,
walk the student through the changes (let
him/her physically touch the changes).
● Keep the classroom floor clean and tidy
(no unfamiliar or surprising obstacles)
● This child can do almost everything his/her
classmates can do, they just need you to
be more detailed in description (when
showing a visual you or classmates must
be their eyes through describing what you
see).
● Get in touch with the school district’s visual
specialist. They will offer guidance,
suggestions, resources and manipulatives.
Working with a child who is visually impaired (Special Needs Designation Category E)

Adaptations and Supports For Math

● Lots of oral description must be used when showing visuals (the teachers, EA, or classmates must be his
eyes).

● Use of velcro board with braille numbers so he can build equations (to follow along with instruction or to
work through an equation).

● Worksheets and handouts converted to braille (Braillist assigned to do this for you)

● Manipulatives (base 10 blocks, braille ten frames, counters, stackers). Anything he can physically touch
and manipulate will help him ‘see”.

● Game boards in braille and velcro attached to pieces where required.

● At times, one-one-one, side-by-side assistance from EA or a teacher to help guide him through the lesson,
and hand him what he needs

Steve Marta
 Supporting Deaf or Hard of Hearing
● Include closed captions when watching videos in class
● Include visuals
● Written instructions or graphic instructions
● Teach the class some basic sign language
● Ensure the classroom is safe and promotes learning
● Reduce the amount of hearing-only related activities
● Use technology to assist learning (eg. microphones, tablets, etc.)
● Partner student with another classmate to help

● See “notes” below for resources

Supporting ELL Learners
● Create vocabulary banks/flash cards that students can access easily
● Reduce the amount of teacher talk time and use different words to
describe the concept
● Give adequate wait time to help students process information
● Use sentence frames to contextualize problems
● Consider math and language skills when grouping students
● Partner discussions
● Use variety of instructional strategies (verbal, visual, written)
Sabina Kaur
Sabina Kaur
Dyscalculia: What is it and how does it
affect math learning? Monica Schneider

-Shares similar genes to dyslexia, -Difficulties with number sense

dysgraphia and can occur and understanding larger/smaller
simultaneously with ADHD. numbers and how they compare
-Students have troubles counting, (ie. Difficulty understanding that 6
not understanding or taking a long is greater than 5.
time to complete simple math
steps such as one step addition -Anxiety around math, tests and
and subtraction. general dislike of the subject.
Understood. (n.d). What is dyscalculia? [Blog Post]. Retrieved from
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning- -Difficulty memorizing math facts
disabilities/dyscalculia/what-is-dyscalculia
or following multi-step problems
Producer (n.d.) Understanding Dyscalculia: Symptoms Explained [Video
Clip]. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/GRJS-jeZ7Is
Differentiated Instruction Can support Dyscalculia & Monica
otherSchneider
Learning needs in MATH
-Reciprocal teaching: give groups of students a problem to discuss and question. Have them be the experts and
teach the class what they learned.
-Use a variety of graphic organizer and model/scaffold how to use them, use visuals & manipulatives!
-Use PWIM (Picture Word Inductive Model) - reduce language heavy math lessons & connect meaning to words,
symbols & concepts
-Appeal to all learners - auditory, visual and kinesthetic
-Utilize a variety of technology for math (fill in the blanks, multiple choice, Prodigy math, Fun Math games,
SumDog, virtual manipulatives, google classroom, easel by TPT, interactive notebooks
-Assessment: Allow a variety of ways for students to show what they know (Projects, discussions, video
recordings, group work, posters, models
-Use real world applications to math concepts (ie. to connect angles in geometry have students work on a project
to design and and build a mini house or structure)
-Prepare students for tests (if needed) with previously printed handouts, highlight key words and definitions, give
visual examples on the board and list steps needed in multi-step equations or problems.
Brain Balance Achievement Centers (n.d.). 5 Strategies for Managing Dyscalculia. Retrieved from
https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/strategies-for-managing-dyscalculia
Supporting Students with Behaviour Disorders
Part 1: Proactive Prevention
Break Down
Manage the Give Choices Know How to
Tasks and
Environment and Reinforce Ask for Help
Build in Breaks

Make sure a Breaking tasks Giving choices Practice having

trusted adult is down to helps students feel student ask for help
close by during manageable in control of their when they are calm
higher stress chunks will help environment. Give so they are prepared
periods. Minimize reduce stress and positive to ask when they are
triggering anxiety. Regular reinforcement for feeling
situations breaks will help good choices. overwhelmed.
disrupt building
tension.
Supporting Students with Behaviour Disorders
Part 2: De-escalating in the moment
Calm Down Waterfall “Do” Opportunity to
Area Compliance Statements Save Face

Give student a Start with a simple Tell student what Give student an “out”
pre-decided safe request that has a they should be from the situation to
space in the room high likelihood of doing not what they avoid digging in
where they can go to compliance. Then should stop doing. their heels. This can
practice calming another, and Break “do” look like giving a
strategies. Provide another until they statements into reason for
calming resources in are on a “streak”. short, easy to compliance, or
the space to help Follow these with a complete steps. giving the student
them regulate request that has a Pair redirection an errand or job to
themselves. lower likelihood of with praise or prior get out of the
compliance. good choices. spotlight.
 Supporting Students
with Behaviour Disorders
Part 3: Reflecting and Understanding
Identify the Listen and
Trigger Respond
What is the student
communicating with Debrief what upset the
their behaviour? How student, and rephrase
can triggers be what they are telling
avoided in the future? you to check that you
understand.
Make a Plan
Discuss a plan of action
for next time the student
feels overwhelmed.
Discuss and practice
together self-regulation
and calming techniques.
Review the student’s
options for when they
need to calm down.
EAL/ELL and Learning Differences - The Concept

-EAL students are individuals, and can have learning differences from giftedness and ADHD,
autism and auditory processing disorders, and anything else any other student may have

-Every student should be met where they are and allowed to grow, not met were they will be,
were, or are assumed to be because of various assumptions

-Learning differences can be underdiagnoised in EAL students

-Many EAL students have translation chores at home, while others have parents who may be
teaching them additional language and mathematics skills, and some have some combination of
both types of family dynamics

-EAL students have a extra gift in knowing (at least) two ways to think, speak, and likely
write, but also are very likely to have the extra hurdles of English, prejudices (ableism,
racism, sexism, xenophobia, ableism etc) and expectations placed upon them
Rachel Elizabeth Fish,The racialized construction of exceptionality: Experimental evidence of race/ethnicity effects on teachers' interventions,Social Science Research,Volume 62,2017,Pages
317-334,ISSN 0049-089X,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2016.08.007.
EAL/ELL and Learning Differences - Considerations

-A wide variety of learning skills and supports can be used

-Allowing students to explore learning, to be artistic and creative, and a teacher
having multiple access points to the topics can increase engagement
-Nonverbal elements, including body language, space, classroom setup, and
classroom community, can be vastly different than what a student is used to, so
proper evaluation is necessary to determine with a difference is caused by this
cultural or societal shift or by difference rooted in the body (whether it be
chemical, neurological, physical, etc)
Crookes, G. (2003). A practicum in Tesol: professional development through teaching practice. Cambridge University Press .
EAL/ELL and Learning Differences - Practical Tips

-Scaffolding from where the student at, which may differ between content and
language (ie, they may know division itself but be unable to do a word problem
with it)
-Using a variety of strategies - visual, oral language, reading, writing, colouring,
graphs, games - to support students
-Programs that help increase literacy to broaden the overall language knowledge
-Having fun and exploratory as well as quieter activities
-Guided group work
-Supportive, guided environment where questions are encouraged
-Templates, checklists, and simple rubrics for larger activities
García, S., & Tyler, B.-J. (2010). Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners With Learning Disabilities in the General Curriculuam. Theory Into Practice,
49(2), 113–120. https://doi-org.proxy.queensu.ca/10.1080/00405841003626585