smart education

Many people have fixed beliefs about mathematics. Well it is natural for someone to have an idea about some issue but in the case of mathematics it is different. A lot of the time these beliefs are internal and built in and are not developed from experience. That is to say people have beliefs about this scientific field that they are born with. They develop their beliefs about mathematics later on in their lives by their experiences.
The reason for this is that mathematics is about logic and common sense. It is about reasoning and deduction. If we examine this simplified definition carefully we find a very close resemblance between this subject and the human brain. The main function of the human brain is logic, reasoning and common sense. This is why everybody naturally has a view about mathematics. It is seen as a symbol of brains and brilliance. Those who are generally confident and in high mood would see this subject in a positive way. Once they see this subject positively they usually do very well in it. They, in a nut shell, trust their brain. On the other hand, those who are usually depressed or those who are easily depressed would see the subject in a bad way. That is to say they would see the subject in a negative way. They do not trust their brain. You see how they interrelate their brains with mathematics and see their brains as mathematics and vice versa. Life experience builds on these beliefs and develops them further. This causes many myths to rise about mathematics.
One of the most common false fixed beliefs about mathematics is that people are born with mathematics talents and you do not acquire it. This is because mathematics symbolizes brains. People believe it is a god given talent and if you do not have it then you should quit. This is contradictory to simple fact. Those who are brilliant in mathematics were not so good at the very initial start and had their difficulties. They had to spend endless hours of hard work till mathematics worked out with them well and easy just like magic.
As a matter of fact people studying this subject now are more privileged than those of the past. There are many new references to choose from. There are many new innovative software calculators that can be used in laboratory experiments to reinforce the understanding of the concepts. If the students did all this work properly they will be good at mathematics. They are lucky enough that they do not have to do the very hard work that the early mathematicians used to do.
Sometimes the teachers of mathematics do not stress on the practical value of the subject. They do not show the students the value of what they are taught in their every day lives. A lot of students see that the subject is to sophisticated and is of no use. The solution for this problem is very easy. It is in the hand of the teachers. Teachers should develop their methods of teaching to add some practical element to the subject. For example they can create a class project which is a practical real life problem that the students solve with the mathematics skills that they developed. They should divide the students into groups. Each group does a particular project. Each group at the end does a presentation in front of the class of the project. The groups should use software calculators to do their practical calculations. This way not only the students will know how important mathematics is in real life but they will also find it much fun.

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When dealing with special needs children, setting up the classroom may be one of the most important things you can do to make your year successful. Many special needs children regardless of their diagnosis have similar things they find difficult. Below are many ideas to help the teacher arrange and get the classroom ready for the year to begin.
1. Make a visual schedule for students to follow each day.
2. Put tennis balls on the bottom of the chairs to decrease the sound in the room.
3. Be very aware of sensory issues. If a child is overwhelmed by sensory stimuli in the classroom this is going to distract them making it impossible for them to concentrate.
4. Prompt students when they get off task. Sometimes this may be just walking over to the student and putting a hand on their back.
5. Use things like visual supports however make sure the visual supports aren't so cluttered the child becomes overwhelmed by it.
6. Teach organization. This can be a notebook with all their information in one place.
7. Have open communication with parents so they can follow through and there is a consistent way of doing things.
8. Model appropriate behaviors.
9. Many children have problems with memory, help make flashcards so they can find what they are looking for and help them study.
10. Seek out and understand success as much as possible.
11. Break tasks into smaller tasks. Don't give them a huge task or a list of assignments and expect them to follow through. They are much more successful when its broken down.
12. Go for quality rather than quantity with classwork and homework. Keep in mind, many children with special needs take medication and remember that the medications are wearing off by the end of the day. Before assigning homework is it really necessary?
13. Make consequences logical and reward often. Come up with a reward system so the children are getting positive reinforcement on a continuous basis.
14. Use privacy boards when there are things going on around the room.
15. Move student's desk to where there are fewer distractions. Most of the time that will be beside the teacher, up front or beside a quite child.
16. Many times it's better to use rows for seating if possible. Group seating is just too much stimuli for them.
17. Keep a portion of the room free from visual stimuli, noise and windows.
18. Use headphones to play while noise or soft music to help block out what is going on in the classroom.
19. State directions, write them down, speak them and repeat. Special needs children need information more than once and in multiple formats.
20. Be sure to get eye contact. They sometimes are not "able" to pay attention. Reward or praise them when they do have eye contact. This is very difficult for them.
21. Allow escape if a child can't deal with a problem. Allow them to go to the assigned area in the classroom where they can go and calm down.
See how these tips help. Please leave me a comment and let me know if they were helpful.

Kerry Johnson
Mom to a 14 year old special needs child.
Special needs classroom.