Posing questions is a direct way for teachers to push students to verbalize justifications and make connections among ideas—a crucial component of giving students with learning disabilities access to high levels of mathematical reasoning—but this skill is difficult to learn. We recruited four pre-service special education teachers to provide 1-1 algebra tutoring to students with learning disabilities while receiving instruction related to posing mathematics questions and supporting students’ reasoning. The pre-service teachers increased their frequency of questions overall and of questions that probed students’ thinking or explored mathematical relationships. Students gave correct and complete responses to these more complex questions approximately half of the time; however, pre-service teachers most often reduced the complexity of their questions when students gave incomplete responses. The findings of this study illustrate the potential for pre-service special education teachers to develop questioning routines that engage students with learning disabilities in mathematical reasoning while scaffolding their progress toward new understanding.
Perspectives on Algebra I tutoring experiences with students with learning disabilities.
The researchers conducted a qualitative analysis of the perceptions of
school personnel and pre-service teachers about an Algebra I tutoring
program for students with learning disabilities. The researchers surveyed
and interviewed the participants about the effectiveness of the program
for the mathematics learning of the students with LD at the school and
as a learning experience for the pre-service teachers. The school personnel
indicated there was a mutually beneficial relationship between the tutors
and the school. The perceptions of the tutors revealed considerations
about the challenges they face as Algebra I tutors of students with learning
disabilities including remembering Algebra I content, posing strategic
questions to students, dealing with students’ math anxiety, and conveying
Algebra I content accessibly. The tutors reported positive experiences in
the program including learning from field experience and, in particular,
learning to promote the progress and learning of students with learning
disabilities using gestures and strategic questioning.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1813903
- PAR ID:
- 10250110
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Learning disabilities
- Volume:
- 18
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 1937-6928
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 177-192
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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