Students in special education and disadvantaged learners have fallen further behind in math due to lost instructional time and other pandemic-related challenges.
Combined with lost learning, many of these students often lack the underlying sensory-cognitive process of mental imagery for math conceptualization. For these students, the gap continues to widen.
We have worked successfully with thousands of students to develop the imagery-language connection for learning. This critical missing piece lays the foundation for students to succeed in math.
The following excerpt from On Cloud Nine® Math by Nanci Bell and Kimberly Tuley, explains why some students may struggle with math:
Why can’t everyone think with numbers? What cognitive processes do some have that others do not? Some individuals easily understand the concepts underlying math processes. They quickly perform math calculations, mentally or on paper, and have an innate sense of whether or not an answer is correct. But for others math is an illogical enemy, filled with random memorization. For those who “get math,” the language of numbers turns into imagery and they “see” mathematical relationships. They use an internal language, with imagery, that lets them calculate and verify mathematics, and see its logic.
Understanding, problem-solving, and computing in mathematics require the ability to process the gestalt (whole)—another form of imagery. This ability is especially important to solve word problems. Problem-solving requires mathematical cognition and that requires imagery. Concept imagery helps students understand when, “this part requires the function of addition” or “this part requires the function of multiplying fractions.”
The imagery-language connection for math can significantly improve student achievement. To learn more about this critical missing piece, download a free chapter from On Cloud Nine.
To learn more about getting trained in this program, contact us for a free consultation or to request a proposal for your school or district.
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