Monday, March 1, 2010

DYSCALCULIA

Many learners have problems in learning and especially in mathematics. The nature of their problems however varies. Some exhibit inconsistencies in their performance i.e. solving correctly one day but incorrectly the next day. There are learners who fail to maintain learned arithmetic and mathematics skills after some extended period of time and many others face difficulties in applying their knowledge in new situations. Some learners take longer period of tome to solve computational problems while others face problems in understanding the problems even before applying computational skills. Many other have developed distaste for and also fear of anything mathematical (Sharma, 1990).

The term dyscalculia is a medically oriented word that describes a severe disability in learning and using mathematics among learners. Dyscalculia refers to disorder in the ability to do or learn mathematics, i.e. difficulty in number conceptualization, understanding number relationships, and difficulty in learning algorithms and applying them. In essence, dyscalculia learners have lower arithmetic achievement, i.e. several years below the appropriate level.

Mathematics learning problem or disabilities can be due to several factors such as perceptual difficulties, listening and attending difficulties, remembering difficulties and thinking or understanding difficulties (Tucker, Singleton & Weaver, 2002).


Types of Mathematic Learning Disabilities