Jan and all:

It has to do with the 3 Stages model of children's development of number
sense developed by Les Steffe and refined by Paul Cobb. In their book
Construction of Arithmetical Meanings and Strategies (1988) they noted that
when children were about to enter the third stage (i.e., to grasp the
Part/Whole concept) their counting took on rhythmic characteristics.

Another author, Eloise Ristad: A Soprano on Her Head,  found that her piano
students who lacked an ability to keep a steady beat had not cross-crawled
as infants (i.e., left hand and right knee move together, then right hand
and left knee move together). That is, infants who rolled, scooted or
crawled left-side/right-side never established an internal steady beat.
Establishing a steady beat by cross-crawling is how we come to understand
the equal distance between the counting numbers on a number line as
preschoolers. If adults have not cross-crawled and never were exposed to a
number line, they may not have that sense of "equal distance of 1" between
the counting numbers. Hence, no number sense.

Other research also points to the importance of cross-crawling. I was at a
recent conference for preschool staff (state deparment of education
sponsored it). The word from the physical therapy people was that if infants
do not cross-crawl by 15 months there is concern that the normal development
process is not progressing as it should.

I know this is a little off the topic, but it may be of help.

Dorothea Steinke
  -----Original Message-----
  From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Goldberg, Jan (ACS)
  Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 1:09 PM
  To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
  Subject: [SpecialTopics 713] Re: Productive disposition


  What is the hypothesis behind your  correlation between rolling over,
scooting, crawling and level of math literacy achieved?


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--

  From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of steinkedb at earthlink.net
  Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 3:03 PM
  To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
  Subject: [SpecialTopics 712] Re: Productive disposition



  Melvin: What specifically edludes them?  Can they do single digit addition
OK? Is multiplication OK? Does the breakdown come at subtraction and
division? If so, are their answers in subtraction off by 1 all the time?  I
have an idea of how to get started with them if this last is true.



  Another thing: Ask if they can ask a parent how they moved as an infant.
Did they roll over and over or scoot on their bottom and never crawl?



  Dorothea

    -----Original Message-----
    From: specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:specialtopics-bounces at nifl.gov]On Behalf Of Melvin Rice
    Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 12:04 PM
    To: specialtopics at nifl.gov
    Subject: [SpecialTopics 710] Re: Productive disposition





    Melvin Rice

    ABE Instructor

    Kansas City Kansas Community College

    melvinr at kckcc.edu



    >>> <steinkedb at earthlink.net> 9/20/2007 8:57 AM >>>

    About test anxiety and "productive disposition":



    Melvin - My comments about Part/Whole concept are based on work by Les
Steffe (emeritus of the University of Georgia) and others. There may be
other developmental concepts besides Part/Whole that your "dyscalculia"
students missed somewhere along the line. Can you give a description of the
specific things your students seem unable to do? (I'm assuming your students
are of normal mental development and have not had traumatic brain injury.)



    Dorothea Steinke



    Hi Dorothea,



    Now keep in mind that I am no diagnostician, but a simple ABE math
instructor. That being said, The students I am thinking of are of average or
higher intelligence. However the basics of math such as number sense, basic
math facts, and simple computation constantly evade them. For the past year,
not only have I worked with them one-on-one as well as a traditional class
setting, but I have also had a math tutor working with them. They appear to
grasp a concept while working with it and then a few minutes later it is
gone. This does not happen with them in other disciplines, only math. I have
seen one of the students come to tears in frustration over not being able to
retain what was just covered minutes earlier. I have been using several of
the techniques picked up from the TIAN sessions I have attended, such as
calculators, manipulatives, and other hands-on material as well as the
EMPower books and this seems to be helping some. I really found the article
by Dr. Kenyon which I referenced in my earlier post to be enlightening and
provide another framework in which to view students who struggle with math.



    Melvin


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