Assistive Technology and Mathematics: What is There and Where Can We Go in Special Education

Abstract

Technology is a natural part of education for all students across a variety of subjects, including mathematics, as educators work to prepare students for tomorrow's work force and align their curriculum and teaching with national standards such those developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2000). This article reviews the literature on mathematics, assistive technology (AT), and educating students with high-incidence disabilities in grades K-12 from 1996 through 2007. The results of the literature review revealed three main areas of AT in mathematics for students with disabilities: anchored instruction, computer-assisted instruction, and calculators. The review focuses on what has been done and suggests that we do know some things in terms of effective AT and mathematics education (i.e., anchored instruction). It then discusses where the field needs to go to improve its knowledge base (i.e., researching AT currently used in the teaching and learning of mathematics, and researching recent innovations in mathematics technology).

The effectiveness of assistive technologies for children with special needs: a review of research-based studies

“…They found that most of the studies used a relatively small number of technology types and did not employ universal design features, meaning they did not individualise their program to meet the needs of students with different learning disabilities. Bouck and Flanagan (2009) focused on literature in the field of mathematics and assistive technology and students with high incidence disabilities in grades K-12 from 1996 to 2007. They found only 17 articles that were empirically based.…”

Applying a Universal Design for Learning Framework to Mediate the Language Demands of Mathematics

“…Coding information verbally and nonverbally results in richer mental representations that strengthen learning (Paivio, 2010). For example, content can be presented using graphic organizers (Harmon et al, 2005;Strickland & Maccini, 2013;Zollman, 2009); concrete (Strickland & Maccini, 2010, 2013 or virtual (Bouck & Flanagan, 2009;Reimer & Moyer, 2005) manipulatives; and video (Bottge, Rueda, Serlin, Hung, & Kwon, 2007;Hasselbring, Lott, & Zydney, 2006), screencasts (Lloyd & Robertson, 2012;Richards, 2012), or pencasts (http:// www.livescribe.com) that enable repeated access to auditory information.…”

“…Educators must also recognize that the physical properties of learning materials and environments may impose barriers for some students who do not have the dexterity to manage manipulatives or the ability to write down what has been learned. Alternative ways to navigate mathematics materials and express what they have learned could include using assistive technology that provides such adaptations as speech or switch activation, alternative keyboards, text-tospeech, specialized writing and seating equipment, and video magnifiers (Caldwell, Cooper, Guarino Reid, & Vanderheiden, n.d.;Obukowicz, 2009) as well as virtual manipulatives (Bouck & Flanagan, 2009;Reimer & Moyer, 2005), to name a few.…”

An Examination of Hand-Held Computer-Assisted Instruction on Subtraction Skills for Second Grade Students with Learning and Behavioral Disabilities

“…For students with learning and behavioral disabilities, CAI has been strongly encouraged in mathematics (Vaughn & Bos, 2009) and is used typically to provide drill and practice or as a supplement to teacher-directed instruction (Yell, Meadows, Drasgow, & Shriner, 2009). As cited in Bouck and Flanagan (2009), some of the earliest research on the use of CAI for students with disabilities revealed an increase in accumulation of math facts, increased automaticity, and increased motivation. However, in a pilot study to examine the impact of CAI software on number skill combination with 33 at-risk first graders, Fuchs et al (2006) found improved student performance on addition, but not subtraction.…”

“…In addition, they use inadequate strategies for problem solving and completing other math tasks (Geary, 1990;Kroesbergen & Van Luit, 2003). As a result, students with learning and behavioral disabilities typically perform one to two grades below their peers on all measures of mathematical functioning (Bouck & Flanagan, 2009;Hallahan et al, 2009;Trout, Nordness, Pierce, & Epstein, 2003;Vaughn & Bos, 2009). …”