Students with Cognitive Difficulties
There are many students with a range of cognitive difficulties. Cognitive disabilities can be mild, moderate or severe. "Mild disabilities are considered to be the most prevalent type of disability" (Roblyer, 2013). These mild disabilities can include intellectual ability, attention deficits, memory, thinking skills, reading, language arts and mathematics (Roblyer, 2013). In AP Statistics, students with mild range disabilities will take the course. Below are some technology-enhanced strategies to assist the student and the instructor when a mild disability is present.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 1
Reading assistance is important in an AP Statistics course. Many people perceive AP Stats as just another math course. However, there is an intensive amount of reading as students must read the introduction to each new scenario for which the data is to be analyzed. Any student with a reading disability will struggle. An eReader that converts text to speech, like on the iPad, would be an important feature for an AP Stats student with a reading disability. Then students could read and hear the words to help overcome their reading disability while reading scenario after scenario in stats.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 2
Math is Fun is a website that can help students with mild disabilities such as memory, thinking skills or statistical conceptual gaps. This website can help students learn or re-learn information about statistics from prior years that AP Statistics instructors would expect students to already understand. But a student with a mild learning disability may have forgotten the information. The Math is Fun website provides review material and practice problems so students with learning disabilities can keep up with the new statistics taught in the course.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 1
Reading assistance is important in an AP Statistics course. Many people perceive AP Stats as just another math course. However, there is an intensive amount of reading as students must read the introduction to each new scenario for which the data is to be analyzed. Any student with a reading disability will struggle. An eReader that converts text to speech, like on the iPad, would be an important feature for an AP Stats student with a reading disability. Then students could read and hear the words to help overcome their reading disability while reading scenario after scenario in stats.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 2
Math is Fun is a website that can help students with mild disabilities such as memory, thinking skills or statistical conceptual gaps. This website can help students learn or re-learn information about statistics from prior years that AP Statistics instructors would expect students to already understand. But a student with a mild learning disability may have forgotten the information. The Math is Fun website provides review material and practice problems so students with learning disabilities can keep up with the new statistics taught in the course.
Students with Physical Difficulties
"Physical disabilities typically affect a person's mobility and agility. Difficulties with motor movements may involve gross- or fine-motor movement and frequently exist concurrently with other disabilities" (Roblyer, 2013). In AP Statistics, a student without the ability to write clearly and/or quickly can prevent him/her from being successful on the AP exam and earn college credit. Listed below are some technological devices to assist with fine-motor skill disabilities.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 1
Fortunately, on the AP Statistics exam, a graphing calculator is allowed at all times. Instructors can help students in many ways if a fine-motor skill such as writing with a pencil, is a student's disability. Especially if students must create graphs with a lot of data. To complete the task on paper with pencil would be very frustrating to a student that has difficulty writing. Using an on-line graphing feature such as Desmos.com, can allow a student to keep up with all the other students. In the classroom, students can use a hand-held mobile graphing calculator such as the TI-Nspire.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 1
Fortunately, on the AP Statistics exam, a graphing calculator is allowed at all times. Instructors can help students in many ways if a fine-motor skill such as writing with a pencil, is a student's disability. Especially if students must create graphs with a lot of data. To complete the task on paper with pencil would be very frustrating to a student that has difficulty writing. Using an on-line graphing feature such as Desmos.com, can allow a student to keep up with all the other students. In the classroom, students can use a hand-held mobile graphing calculator such as the TI-Nspire.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 2
MathTalk.com is an amazing resource. It is technology that can make it possible for a student unable to write but is mentally able, to complete AP Statistics problems. Although it costs money, it is a great investment for a family or a school with a student that has a more severe physical writing disability. This program will work with many subjects, even AP Statistics. |
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Students with Sensory Difficulties
"Sensory disabilities involve impairments associated with the loss of hearing or vision" (Roblyer, 2013). This type of disability should not stop a student from being successful in an AP course such as AP Statistics. Students with limited or loss of vision or hearing can still process information at a higher cognitive level. There are newer ways in which technology can assist students with hearing or vision loss.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 1
For visually impaired students, AP Statistics textbooks are accessible on-line. To assist students who are blind or visually impaired, a screen reader makes it possible for those with this disability to have the stats book read to them. Job Access With Speech (JAWS), is a screen reader as demonstrated in the YouTube video at the right. It is amazing technology that allows those who cannot see the computer screen to read the computer screen. The computer will read all text on the screen out loud so someone who is blind can hear the words. The video also has some important advice, from someone who is blind, to website designers about how to not label items on a webpage. |
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Technology-Enhanced Strategy 2
Many times in AP Statistics, watching and listening to a video is part of the curriculum. For example, if the instructor is flipping the classroom, many times videos will be assigned as the homework to learn the material. Then when students return to class, they will complete the practice problems that are typically homework in groups in class. Interact-AS provides the text version of an audio communication. Students that cannot hear the video on the stats information can have Interact-AS transcribe what is said into readable text. This can even be used when a student is back in the stats classroom. Everything the stats teacher says can be translated into text for the student. This software can also interpret and translate from one language to another!! |
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At Risk Students
"The term at-risk is often used to describe students or
groups of students who are considered to have a higher probability of
failing academically or dropping out of school. The term may be applied
to students who face circumstances that could jeopardize their ability
to complete school, such as homelessness, incarceration, teenage
pregnancy, serious health issues, domestic violence, transiency (as in
the case of migrant-worker families), or other conditions, or it may
refer to learning disabilities, low test scores, disciplinary problems,
grade retentions, or other learning-related factors that could adversely
affect the educational performance and attainment of some students.
While educators often use the term at-risk to refer to general
populations or categories of students, they may also apply the term to
individual students who have raised concerns—based on specific behaviors
observed over time—that indicate they are more likely to fail or drop
out" (Great Schools Partnership, 2014).
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 1
Aleks.com is an online tool that can allow an at-risk student to work at their own pace. Aleks uses a reward system by filling in a pie-chart as students accomplish certain math skills. A student that is not showing success in the regular stats classroom could be successful on an independent tutorial technology. There are several stats courses to choose from including AP Statistics. This allows the student to work at his or her own pace. If a student misses school for a few days, then they can pick up right where they left off which can help alleviate the anxiety of being behind in stats when they return to school. The self paced program also provides individualized assessments. With approval, schools could use Aleks.com to help students with AP Statistics credit retrieval.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 2
Using games in math and statistics can help to gain the attention of an at-risk student as well as all students. Instructors can incorporate games from many online resources: Cool Math, Schools Corner, iSolveIt, or many statistical applets are like games too. For example, from Schools Corner there is a dice duels simulation. It can help students understand probability distributions quickly using many different parameters. Another specific example is the fascinating Let's Make a Deal applet. What is the probability you choose correctly? These games can be much more intriguing to any student, not just at-risk students, over a daily PowerPoint presentation. Having students play some strategy games online can help to motivate them to learn more about the probabilities and statistics throughout the course.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 1
Aleks.com is an online tool that can allow an at-risk student to work at their own pace. Aleks uses a reward system by filling in a pie-chart as students accomplish certain math skills. A student that is not showing success in the regular stats classroom could be successful on an independent tutorial technology. There are several stats courses to choose from including AP Statistics. This allows the student to work at his or her own pace. If a student misses school for a few days, then they can pick up right where they left off which can help alleviate the anxiety of being behind in stats when they return to school. The self paced program also provides individualized assessments. With approval, schools could use Aleks.com to help students with AP Statistics credit retrieval.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 2
Using games in math and statistics can help to gain the attention of an at-risk student as well as all students. Instructors can incorporate games from many online resources: Cool Math, Schools Corner, iSolveIt, or many statistical applets are like games too. For example, from Schools Corner there is a dice duels simulation. It can help students understand probability distributions quickly using many different parameters. Another specific example is the fascinating Let's Make a Deal applet. What is the probability you choose correctly? These games can be much more intriguing to any student, not just at-risk students, over a daily PowerPoint presentation. Having students play some strategy games online can help to motivate them to learn more about the probabilities and statistics throughout the course.
Gifted and Talented Students
Many times gifted or talented students will become bored in the classroom. Sometimes this can lead to students not participating in their day-to-day classes. To assist gifted students in the regular classroom, instructors should focus on the five P's as outlined by Pyryt; pace, process, passion, products and peers (Roblyer, 2013). The following websites have been identified as resources that assist instructors with the five P's to further challenge their students in math and probability and statistics.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 1
Another great resource for gifted students to access is at IXL Learning. Here students can access a plethora of statistical topics. Within each math level, Algebra 1 through Pre-Calculus, there are a list of skills for probability and statistics as described in the AP Statistics standards. Many times, regular math courses do not have time to cover all of these topics. A gifted student that needs more material to explore would progress nicely under the guidance of IXL Learning. When the student opens a topic, it immediately asks the student to answer the question. If the student misses the question, then an explanation pops up. The website keeps track of student time and correct questions answered so students can challenge themselves. If the student keeps getting answers correct, then the questions become harder. This type of website will allow gifted students to challenge themselves further in statistics and receive immediate feedback while doing so.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 2
A third website containing higher level math has a large number of fantastic probability and statistics applications for students that need more to explore. Johnnie's Math Page is an excellent resource to assist instructors in providing additional activities for gifted students to use. For example, the statistics page includes an app called Data Masher. This app allows students to compare and contrast different types of data sets to see if there are any correlations. Students that want to explore probability and statistics at a deeper level can definitely be successful on this website.
Another great resource for gifted students to access is at IXL Learning. Here students can access a plethora of statistical topics. Within each math level, Algebra 1 through Pre-Calculus, there are a list of skills for probability and statistics as described in the AP Statistics standards. Many times, regular math courses do not have time to cover all of these topics. A gifted student that needs more material to explore would progress nicely under the guidance of IXL Learning. When the student opens a topic, it immediately asks the student to answer the question. If the student misses the question, then an explanation pops up. The website keeps track of student time and correct questions answered so students can challenge themselves. If the student keeps getting answers correct, then the questions become harder. This type of website will allow gifted students to challenge themselves further in statistics and receive immediate feedback while doing so.
Technology-Enhanced Strategy 2
A third website containing higher level math has a large number of fantastic probability and statistics applications for students that need more to explore. Johnnie's Math Page is an excellent resource to assist instructors in providing additional activities for gifted students to use. For example, the statistics page includes an app called Data Masher. This app allows students to compare and contrast different types of data sets to see if there are any correlations. Students that want to explore probability and statistics at a deeper level can definitely be successful on this website.
Resources
_Adaptive and Assistive Technology Website Links
http://www.aleks.com/
http://www.auditorysciences.com/
http://atclassroom.blogspot.com/
http://www.calcchat.com/book/Calculus-9e/
http://www.coolmath-games.com/1-complete-game-list.html
http://www.datamasher.org/home/highest-rated
https://www.desmos.com/
http://education.ti.com/en/us/products/calculators/graphing-calculators/ti-nspire-cx-handheld/tabs/overview
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/9-strategies-motivating-students-mathematics-alfred-posamentier
http://www.freedomscientific.com/Products/Blindness/JAWS
http://www.ixl.com/math/
http://jmathpage.com/
http://www.mathsisfun.com/data/index.html
http://www.mathtalk.com/index.htm
http://www.stats.govt.nz/tools_and_services/schools_corner/Activities/Interactive-Games.aspx
http://www.tsbvi.edu/math
References
The Glossary of Education Reform (2014). 21st century skills. Created by The Great Schools Partnership. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/21st-century-skills/
Roblyer, M. D. & Doerling, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
http://www.aleks.com/
http://www.auditorysciences.com/
http://atclassroom.blogspot.com/
http://www.calcchat.com/book/Calculus-9e/
http://www.coolmath-games.com/1-complete-game-list.html
http://www.datamasher.org/home/highest-rated
https://www.desmos.com/
http://education.ti.com/en/us/products/calculators/graphing-calculators/ti-nspire-cx-handheld/tabs/overview
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/9-strategies-motivating-students-mathematics-alfred-posamentier
http://www.freedomscientific.com/Products/Blindness/JAWS
http://www.ixl.com/math/
http://jmathpage.com/
http://www.mathsisfun.com/data/index.html
http://www.mathtalk.com/index.htm
http://www.stats.govt.nz/tools_and_services/schools_corner/Activities/Interactive-Games.aspx
http://www.tsbvi.edu/math
References
The Glossary of Education Reform (2014). 21st century skills. Created by The Great Schools Partnership. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/21st-century-skills/
Roblyer, M. D. & Doerling, A. H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.