Video Story
Watch VideoTeachers focus on helping students with math
Story By: David Tauchen
Source: KOAA
Samantha Abeel knows what it feels like to get lost in numbers. "Basic addition and subtraction are all I've ever really been able to master," said Abeel.
Abeel struggles with a learning disability called Dyscalculia. She has trouble telling time, counting change, and doing basic level math. "I have a hard time with fractions. I have a hard time with division and multiplication."
Dyscalculia affects a small number of students, teachers say. However, math anxiety affects a very large number. Teaching these students math has become a challenge for educators. This issue was front and center today at a meeting of educators and city leaders for "Learning Differences Week" in Colorado Springs.
"This is a good week for us to highlight the difficulties with learning disabilities and to see what we as a community can do to help," said Jan Martin of the Colorado Springs City Council.
Teachers are focusing on how to help students who struggle with numbers. Some say teachers just need to use a students strengths to help them learn.
"We need to concentrate on people's strengths and help them strengthen their weaknesses," said Janet Bullock of TouchMath, an educational company that donated over $30,000 worth of math learning materials to schools in El Paso and Teller counties.
Abeel attributes this approach to her ability to get through school. She wrote about her struggles in a book called "My Thirteenth Winter." She says focusing on her strength with language has made the difference.
"The reality is that I'm never going to be an accountant," said Abeel.
