master. Hopefully, this article will present practical solutions to assist
teachers and parents working with children who experience difficulties
when learning to add.
For most children, joining sets of physical objects is their most basic
experience of addition. This strategy simply involves collecting two
groups of objects, and then counting up how many objects there are in
total. ie. the simple question 5 + 3 can be solved by building two towers
of blocks, and counting up every block that has been used. A significant
minority of children, particularly those with problems with attention, can
find this approach very challenging. If the child is unable to hold their
attention for the duration of the activity, blocks will be put awry, one
of the towers will end up with extra blocks, blocks will get mixed up, and
by the end of the activity the incorrect answer is arrived at. The length
of the process, and its lack of transferability, mean that if the child in
question does not grasp the concept quickly, they are unlikely to proceed
at all. In addition, it is difficult to extend this methodology into a
solution that can be tackled mentally: for example, try to imagine two
large sets of cubes in your mind, and then count them up accurately. Even
for adults, this is almost impossible.
An alternative to the lengthy process discussed above is to use jottings.
Write out the sum on a piece of a paper. Alongside the first number, draw
the appropriate number of circles (for instance, for the number 8, draw 8
circles). Ask your student how many circles you'll need to draw alongside
the other number in the sum. After they arrive at the right answer, tell
them to draw the circles. Finally, ask them how many circles they have
drawn on the page. This is a much easier method of bringing together 2
groups, is better suited to students with poor attention, and is less
likely to be subject to mechanical error. It also encourages the student
to relate what the written sum "says", and why they are drawing a certain
number of circles.
Playing board games is both enjoyable and a learning experience. Games
that involve moving counters around a board (such as Ludo), do much to
encourage children to count on. The child is needed to count the spots on
the die, and move their playing piece along a corresponding number of
places. If the board has numbers on it, the child can even see that the
action is similar to counting out loud or using a number square. When
using board games, always remember to emphasise the connections between
this and adding up.
A fantastic way of assisting students to acquire valuable addition skills
is by allowing them to become familiar with money. You being by putting
out a handful of pennies, and then help your student to count up the
money, by tapping each coin sequentially and counting out loud. As you are
using pennies, this is isn't difficult at all, as you are only required to
count the number of coins. Now make the activity more demanding by
including a 2p coin. When you get to this coin, say to your student that
they are going to have to count it twice, because it is a 'two'. Count
each of the coins as you did earlier, touching each as you go, but when
you arrive at the 'two', tap it two times. Include further twos, and
practise counting each one a relevant number of times. This easy activity
will help your student add up quite long sums of money without using
apparatus, and see the very real connection between counting and addition.
Both before and after, tell the student that they are learning about
addition.
As a rule, our ability to solve addition in our minds is based on number
facts we have learnt. We do not need to compute the solution to 5 add 6,
we can remember it. Being able to remember a wide range of number facts
allows us to tackle simple mathematics easily and quickly. Develop your
student's awareness of number facts by singing rhymes together that tell
stories of number. Try taking part in the game of matching pairs with your
student, where the point of the game is identify the location of the
question (eg. 3+4) and its answer from a set of cards all turned face
down. Assemble a pack of flashcards with simple addition facts printed on
them, pass them the cards one at a time, and then ask your child for the
answer, providing plenty praise when they say the correct answer. Now add
to the number of facts. Providing an activity that is pleasurable will
help stop your child looking at mathematics as tedious.
Practise makes perfect. The correct form of practise also lends greater
confidence. By using simple worksheets and printables, aimed towards your
child's level of skill, you can improve the student's ability with
addition, both practically and in their head. There are lots of free sites
on the web that offer printables to support the teaching of adding up;
however, it does matter what maths worksheets you use. Check that the
worksheets are of an appropriate length to maintain your child's interest
and are differentiated at the right level, being neither too difficult,
nor too easy. You should really be using sums that encourage their
recollection of number bonds, mixed in with a handful of sums your student
hasn't seen before. On the occasions that your student finds the correct
answer, provide plenty of praise. If they get confused, do not look
disappointed, but briefly explain how to solve the problem. In other
words, using adding up worksheets and printables shrewdly can really
improve your child's ability.
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