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Here are some questions about how to teach math to deaf children:
What are some things to know about math before I begin?
What are some maths concepts students need to know?
My students don't have any concept of numbers or counting. Where do I start?
How do I teach more complex math skills like borrowing and carrying?
How do I teach word problems?
What are some things to know about math before I begin?
Let your children know that you believe they can succeed. Let them see you enjoying the activities, liking maths. Children tend to emulate adults in their environment, and if a parent or teacher says "you know, this is really interesting!" that becomes the child's model.
Be ready to talk with children about maths and to listen to what they are saying. Even when you yourself don't know how to solve a problem, asking a child to explain the meaning of each part of the problem will probably be enough to find a strategy.
Be more concerned with the processes of doing maths than with getting the correct answer. The answer to any particular problem has very little importance, but knowing HOW to find the answer is a lifetime skill.
Try NOT to tell children HOW to solve the problem. Once they have been told how to do it, thinking usually stops. Better to ask them questions about the problem and help them find their own methods of working it through.
Practice estimation with children whenever possible. Estimation helps thinking about a problem that precedes the doing, and is one of the most useful and "sense-making" tools available.
(The above information is taken from Family Math by Jean Kerr Stenmark et.al.)
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What are some maths concepts students need to know?
Rote counting involves students being able to count numbers from 1-??
Counting objects requires students to have 1:1 correspondence. This means students know to say one number (and only one number) for each object they count. You will find early learners counting objects and saying "one, two" when they have only touched one object. Then, "three, four" when they touch a second object. These students need LOTS of practice and modeling to count one object and say one number.
Estimation can involve looking at a group of objects and guessing how many are there. Students do not need to be right, but with LOTS of experience, you hope they can guess closer and closer to the actual number. For more experienced learners, estimation involves looking at math problems and being able to approximate the more correct answer. For example, 145+236= ?. Students who have estimation skills will be able to articulate that 300 is a more acceptable answer than 30.
Computation is where students perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems.
Solving problems involves presenting students with real life situations (or word problems from the math books) and dialoguing with students about the appropriate computations needed to solve the problem. For example, "Juma has 4 oranges and Otieno has 3. How many do they have together?" Getting students to think, discuss, and decide which computation strategy to use to solve that problem is much more important than students knowing 4+3=7.
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My students don't have any concept of numbers or counting. Where do I start?
There are many pre-math skills to work on that will lead to more natural counting opportunities. As with learning language, students learn through play and repetition. Work on sorting like objects into groups (and then you count them while the student watches). Sort items according to color, size, and shape. Arrange things according to size from smallest to tallest. You can also match pictures to objects (this is also a great pre-reading activity).
A math teacher also needs lots and lots of manipulatives to count, sort and arrange. Here are some ways to get counters and manipulatives.
Bottle tops (ask your local shops to save for you)
Cut up straws (these are great for bundling to teach place value)
Small rocks
Buttons
Twigs and sticks (also good for making bundles for ‘tens' and ‘hundreds')
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How do I teach more complex math skills like borrowing and carrying?
For students to understand borrowing and carrying, they must grasp the concept of place value and that "10" is really one bundle in the tens place and zero ones in the ones place. Give them many opportunities to solve computation problems with manipulatives where they can bundle (carrying) and unbundle (borrowing).
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How do I teach word problems?
Word problems are difficult for most deaf students because of the language. You can draw the problem on the board using stick figures. You can act out the story using students and actual manipulatives. Also, discuss math vocabulary such as "how many altogether, how many are left, what is the difference" and how those phrases relate to signs and what the concept behind the phrases are (addition, subtraction, subtraction).
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