Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia: difficulty in developing arithmetic skills.
Acalculia: total inability to develop arithmetic skills
The two primary modes of thinking in which learning can occur are verbal and non-verbal thinking. Verbal thinking can be defined as thinking with the sounds of words (“talking in your head”); non-verbal thinking can be defined as thinking with mentally-generated sensory impressions (“thinking in pictures”).
Every symbol has three components: an appearance on the page, a sound/way it is spoken, and a meaning.
Verbal thinking allows us to connect the appearance of a symbol with its sound: for example, we see the x symbol and think “times”.
Non-verbal thinking allows us to connect the appearance of a symbol with its meaning: for example, we see the x symbol and get a mental image or feeling as to what natural process it signifies.
Dyscalculia and acalculia typically occur in thinkers who need to learn through meaning who have failed to grasp the meanings behind some or all of the mathematical symbols they have encountered. For these problems to be resolved, a medium has to be found through which these meanings can be mastered. In the Davis programme, a multi-sensory medium in the form of plasticine is preferred.
But first: mathematical symbols and processes all rest on a series of foundation concepts or universal laws which have to be fully understood before maths can be mastered. For example, one such concept is sequence, the principle that one thing such as a number or quantity follows another. The starting point for dyscalculia correction needs therefore to be mastery of these concepts.
Plasticine rarely makes an appearance in the learning process beyond the age of pre-school. The Davis approach advocates its use as a powerful learning medium at all levels of the learning process. In particular, it looks at how confusion can arise in the learning process as a result of symbols, terms, concepts and processes that are not understood; and how these confusions can be “clayed out” through the plasticine medium, often with dramatic results.
The Davis approach acknowledges the dyscalculic person’s preferred learning style, namely to learn through meaning and hands-on explanation, rather than by rote or repetition, and uses multi-sensory teaching strategies before moving to the traditional paper and pencil medium.
Please contact the DDFA if you would like more information on dyscalculia and the Davis methods.