Abstract:

Fostering the development of mathematical skills is important in itself and beneficial for the academic development of children. While mathematics education researchers and curriculum designers have emphasized the importance of representations in fostering students’ mathematical learning, there is limited research on actual pedagogical practices in special education, and on how teachers integrate representations in regular classroom activities. This qualitative study illustrates specific ways in which educators may utilize multiple representations to teach numeracy, thereby showing how theoretical ideas can be applied into practice. We analyzed data from two semi-structured problem-solving sessions that were conducted in a Special Education center specialized in language disorders, as well as classroom observations data that were collected between those two sessions. Participants were 3 male and 2 female students between 8 and 15 years old and their main teachers. The two sessions took place 5 months apart, during which the educators were trained on the implementation of Piensa Infinito, a pedagogical program based on the Singapore methodology. We analyzed the verbal prompts and pedagogical strategies employed by the teachers to achieve the intended learning objectives, with special emphasis on the mediation of representations as learning tools. Our ultimate goal is to encourage teachers to use this methodological approach in a strategic manner, in order to face the particular challenges and specific attention that these educational contexts require.

Keywords:

Learning, special education, mathematics, mediation, Singapore methodology.