Teaching Mathematics to Slow Learners

by: Latifah & Yee

Slow Learners

• 1 out of 5 children• Are not learning-disabled• they want to learn but lack the ability to process

information well• slow learners in one subject but not in others• Quiet & shy, have trouble making friends• Poor confidence & self esteem• Have troubles with abstract thinking• Shorter attention lifespan

Important Points

• Environment, variety• Time• Concept Building• Real World Examples• Review• Reward• Allow for Success• Interest (ing)

INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACH MATHEMATICS TO SLOW

LEARNERS• Teach in small groups

-- can more effectively respond to students' needs.

• Provide numerous examples

-- Encourage students to participate in their solutions.

• Allow students to work with partners to complete classwork.

-- help each other overcome confusion and reach the correct answers.

• Assign homework daily

-- the more practice the better• Provide application opportunities

whenever possible

-- Show your students that the math concepts they are learning have real-life applications

-- increase their interest levels

e.g sports-score averages

determine the distances between cities

• Assess students to ensure their understanding of key concepts before moving on.

-- Re-teach until their understanding is complete.

• Constantly reference previously taught related concepts.

-- demonstrating the interconnectivity of math.

-- building on simple concepts to learn more complex ones.

Activities to do with Slow Learners

Uses of Newspaper, magazines & brochure

Q: How long would it take to count to a million at the rate of one number per second if you were to count without stopping?

• Encourage random guess & discussion• Provide motivated setting for some

fundamentals of arithmetic

Arithmetic patterns

1+3=2x2

1+3+5=3x3

1+3+5+7=4x4

• Meaningful discovery (without the need of proof)

• Students will gradually begin to wonder why such patterns appear

Number base

Amount 25 cents 5 cents 1 cents

82 cents 3 1 2

67 cents

34 cents

• To win must using fewest number of possible marks

Coordinate

Optical Illusion

• Interest to slow learners• To convince students that cannot rely

solely on intuition or visualization

Paper Folding

• Total interior angle of triangle is 180˚

• Line segment joining midpoints of 2 sides of triangle is equal to length to ½ of 3rd line

• To distinguish between 2x2 and (2x)2

Paper folding

a2-b2 = (a-b) (a+b)

Finger Reckoning

• Product of 1-9 with 9• Product of 9 with two-digit number,

provided that the tens digit is less than the ones digit.

Nomographs

• Addition as well as subtraction

Mathematical Recreation

• Magic Square & Sudoku

• fill with number 1-6,

so that sum of each each side is 12

Math tricks 1

• Think of any number• Add 5 to it• Multiply the answer by 2• Substract 6 from answer• Divide by 2• Substract the number with which you

started with

you will get 2 !!!!

Math trick 2: 3 dices sum• Ask any one to arrange 3 dices on top of

one another.• Instruct him to calculate the sum of values

on the two faces that touch each other (for the top and middle dice, middle and bottom dice) and the bottom dice

• you can directly tell the sum by• substracting the value shown on the

top dice from 21

Mathematical puzzles:Fox, goose and bag of corns puzzle

• Once upon a time a farmer went to market and purchased a fox, a goose, and a bag of corns. On his way home, the farmer came to the bank of a river and hired a boat. But in crossing the river by boat, the farmer could carry only himself and a single one of his purchases - the fox, the goose, or the bag of the corns.

• If left alone, the fox would eat the goose, and the goose would eat the corns.

• The farmer's challenge was to carry himself and his purchases to the far bank of the river, leaving each purchase intact. How did he do it?

3 chicken & 3 wolves

• 3 chicken and 3 wolves need to cross a river in a boat big enough only for 2.

• The chicken are fine if they are left alone, or if they are with the same number or with smaller number of wolves. The chicken are dangerous if they are left in situation where they outnumbered by the wolves.

• How do they all get across the river without harm?

3, 5, 8 to get 4

• A man goes to a well with 3 cans whose capacities are 3, 5 and 8 gallons respectively.

• Explain how he can obtain exactly 4 gallons of water from the well.

How much he lose?• A men went into a shoestore & bought a $5 pair

of shoes, paying for them with a $20 bill. • The shoestore owner went to next door to the

grocer to get change for the bill and then gave the customer his $15 change.

• Later the grocer discovered that the $20 bill was counterfeit and the shoestore had to replace it with a good bill.

• How much did the shoestore lose in term of money & merchandise in this whole transaction?

Math Game for 2• 2 players alternate in selecting a round

number from 1-6. After each number is selected, it is added to the sum of those previously selected. The object of the game is to reach 50.

• Winning strategy: be the 1st to start & select 1, and the be sure to select numbers to total 8, 15, 22, 29, 36 and 43. Once you arrive at 43, you will sure be the winner.