Increasing Teacher Knowledge of Research-Based Small-Group Interventions In Mathematics

Presentation:  Jovana Durica, Kathleen Walsh

Session A | 9:00 – 9:40 | Location: Room 310

Abstract:

Poor mathematics skills are associated with a myriad of serious and life-­‐long difficulties (National Mathematics Advisory Panel, 2008). The lifetime prevalence of mathematics difficulty ranges from 3-­‐10%, and although the occurrence of such difficulties is analogous to difficulties in reading, problems with mathematics have received significantly less empirical investigation (Barbaresi, Katusic, Colligan, Weaver, & Jacobsen, 2005; Fuchs, Fuchs, & Malone, 2016; Shalev, Auerbach, Manor, & Gross-­‐Tsur, 2000). The lack of consideration to mathematics difficulties in comparison to reading difficulties has not only been evident in research, but also in school settings. As an example, schools are much more likely to provide small-­group intervention in reading than in mathematics
(Fuchs et al., 2016).

The fact that mathematics difficulties receive significantly less attention than those is reading is astonishing, especially when one considers the importance of mathematics for everyday functioning. Mathematics is embedded into a multitude of everyday tasks such as cooking, grocery shopping, paying taxes, or budgeting household expenses. Furthermore, knowledge of early mathematics concepts is not only a predictor of later math success, it has also has been shown to be one of the most powerful predictors of future academic success in general (Duncan, Dowsett, & Classens, 2008). The goal of the current poster presentation is to equip educators with knowledge of effective small-­‐group interventions in order to help their students address their mathematical needs, and thus ensure later academic success.
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