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College of William & Mary
Assistive Technology Supports for Math
By Cindy L. Richardson
from T/TAC Link Lines
November/December 2001
Beyond instructional strategies, curriculum modifications, and the use of manipulatives,
number fact cards, and calculators, the broader category of computer software
has emerged as a popular support for students struggling with math. Until recently,
software that might support a student struggling with math fell in two categories:
access software or drill-and-practice software.
Access software can be thought of as software that provides a student
with a disability the opportunity to engage in the same curriculum as typical
peers, only using a different platform to enter answers (e.g., pencil and paper
are replaced with a computer and perhaps a peripheral device such as a joystick
or alternate keyboard). These programs are often referred to as electronic accessible
worksheets. Unfortunately, not only are very few applications available, but
those available target only basic arithmetic calculations/skills (i.e., addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division). Furthermore, while these programs
assist the student in setting up more complex computations such as borrowing
or carrying, none of them provide on-screen manipulative support.
The other type of software thought to support students with mild disabilities
is known as drill-and-practice software. As the name suggests,
developers of these applications promise that if students has the opportunity
to practice math facts and strategies through an engaging, game-like format,
success is all but certain.
For students with learning disabilities in mathematics, the nature of the struggle
as well as the strategies for remediation can be complex. Appropriate support
often involves a combination of individualized instructional strategies and
numerous opportunities to use concrete manipulatives as skills are being developed.
One of the most exciting new software programs to emerge as developers struggled
to address these issues is MathPad Plus Fractions and Decimals, described
below.
SOFTWARE REVIEW
Title: MathPad Plus Fractions and Decimals
Type of Software: Electronic worksheet with on-screen manipulative support
Which Students Can Benefit?
- Students who are unable to use pencil and paper to
solve mathematical problems or who become easily frustrated due to physical,
organizational, or visual issues;
- Students who could benefit from being able to represent
abstract concepts with the use of on-screen manipulatives (e.g., fraction
pie charts, decimal cubes/grids);
- Students who become overwhelmed when presented with
an entire worksheet of math problems;
- Students who could benefit from having the program
read the directions as well as each equation;
- Students who access the computer by using a standard
keyboard, and students who need to use an alternate keyboard, or switch users
who need a program with scanning capability.
What Makes MathPad Plus Fractions and Decimals an Effective Support for
Students?
- This application provides students with a mode (screen)
for entering their answers (Worksheet Mode) and a mode for performing calculations
and working with on-screen manipulatives (Manipulatives Mode). Students can
easily move between the two modes at any point in solving a problem.
- In Worksheet Mode, there is only one problem on the
screen at any given time, so the student is not overwhelmed or distracted
by multiple problems.
- In Manipulatives Mode, students can set up and perform
complex math functions by clicking on-screen tools that perform such tasks
as regrouping, crossing out, calculating the reciprocal of a fraction, and
converting like denominators.
- Students can use the cut-and-paste functions to carry
their work from the Manipulatives Mode to the Worksheet Mode where they can
enter their answers and check their work.
- Students can receive auditory as well as visual feedback
on the correctness of any computations they have made in solving the problems,
as well as on their final answers.
- An on-screen four-function calculator can be accessed
at any time.
What Makes MathPad Plus Fractions and Decimals an Effective Tool for Teachers?
- Individual student preferences with regard to speech,
background, text color and size, and paper format (e.g., grid lines, columns,
etc.) can be set easily.
- Teachers can temporarily disable the access of manipulatives
or other program features during a testing situation.
- The application is password protected to prevent students
from making changes to program settings.
- Students can start using the program immediately, since
the application contains 20 predesigned worksheets that range from solving
simple to complex equations involving fractions, decimals, word problems,
percentages, and money.
- Teachers can import their own problem list or create
a worksheet of problems within the program.
- Student work can be printed out in a variety of formats.
What are Curricular Applications for MathPad Plus Fractions and Decimals?
- Use MathPad Plus Fractions and Decimals as an
instructional tool to illustrate how abstract mathematical equations are
set up and solved using the on-screen manipulatives feature. Divide the class
into small groups or teams. Adopt a game show format to turn the learning
of these concepts into a fun-filled experience. Whether each team is given
the same problem to be the first to solve, or whether individual representatives
compete until they get stumped (try incorporating the "lifeline concept" from
"Who Wants to be a Millionaire?"), struggling students get to participate
and also gain insight from the problem-solving skills of others.
- Play Stump the Teacher by having students generate
problems to solve. After a few times of showing how problems would be set
up and solved using on-screen manipulatives, divide the large group and have
each smaller group take turns trying to stump the others.
MathPad Plus Fractions and Decimals is manufactured by IntelliTools,
(800) 899-6687 or www.intellitools.com. The program is available for Windows
or Macintosh computers and sells for $99.95 for single copies. If you are considering
this program as a tool to support the comprehension and computational abilities
of a student or a group of students and would like more information, please
contact Cindy Richardson, Assistive Technology Specialist at (757) 221-2374
or e-mail at cxric2@wm.edu.
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