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1. Mathematics
2. Mathematics K–6 Support Document for Students with Special Education Needs
3. Introduction

Introduction

The purpose of the Mathematics K–6 Support Document for Students with Special Education Needs is to provide additional programming support and teaching strategies that reflect current research, to teachers of students who are experiencing difficulties in acquiring knowledge, skills and understanding in Mathematics. The document supports teachers in the planning, programming, assessment and implementation of learning experiences that will enable all students to demonstrate achievement in relation to the outcomes and content of the Mathematics K–6 Syllabus (PDF, 201 pages, 960 KB).

Assessment, planning, programming, implementation and evaluation are integral to effective teaching and learning in Mathematics and involve consideration of the individual learning needs of students and the creation of an appropriate learning environment for the achievement of the syllabus outcomes.

The syllabus recognises that students learn at different rates and in different ways, so that students within a Year group may need to access outcomes and content at different Stages on the continuum.

Students experience difficulties in Mathematics for a variety of reasons. These difficulties vary in cause, nature, intensity and duration. Students may experience some of the following difficulties in Mathematics: ²

memory difficulty remembering key facts, concepts, strategies and procedures conceptual difficulty understanding critical features of a concept and/or generalising key facts, concepts, strategies and procedures to other contexts language difficulty understanding important symbols and mathematics-specific language insufficient background knowledge and skills difficulty due to insufficient background knowledge and/or lack of fluency with key facts, concepts, strategies and procedures application of strategies difficulty selecting an appropriate strategy to address a problem, remembering steps in a strategy and/or reflecting on their use of the strategy

Students exhibit a range of abilities and needs as they study Mathematics. The Board’s Foundation Statements and the K–10 Mathematics Scope and Continuum (PDF, 201 pages, 960 KB – refer pages 27–37) can assist teachers to identify the starting point for instruction for the students in their classes.

For students to develop and maintain their knowledge, skills and understanding in Mathematics, careful sequencing of teaching and learning experiences that are matched to each phase of learning (acquisition, fluency, maintenance and generalisation) is required.

The syllabus strands are used as organisers of outcomes (PDF, 201 pages, 960 KB – refer pages 17 and following) and content to assist teachers with planning, programming, assessment and reporting. In each of the strands (PDF, 201 pages, 960 KB – refer pages 4, 8 and 9) particular aspects of students’ mathematical learning are developed. Working Mathematically is central in the Mathematics K–6 Syllabus and is embedded into the content of the other strands.

While the syllabus strands are interrelated, a student experiencing difficulty in one strand might not be experiencing difficulty in the other strands. Learning opportunities in a strand should be provided at the stage level that the student is working at in that particular strand.