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TouchMathTouchMathScaling the First Obstacle to the Conquest of Numeracy

Paul HelgesenP188XJune 10, 2011

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IntroductionIntroductionMy Population My Population 6th 7th Grade District 75 Special EdDisability: AutismClassroom setting: 6-1-3Non-speakersFunctional Level: Pre-K6 boys, 4 in in pampers

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AssessmentAssessmentMath/Numeracy CompetenceMath/Numeracy CompetenceInstruction: Place the flashcards in order

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AssessmentAssessmentMath/Numeracy CompetenceMath/Numeracy CompetenceStudent who laid out the flashcards as follows

Is he ready for the next step, namely simple addition?

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AssessmentAssessmentMath/Numeracy CompetenceMath/Numeracy CompetenceStudent laid out the flashcards as follows

But he may merely have remembered their positional locationIn other words, he knows that the follows the

And that the follows the

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AssessmentAssessmentMath/Numeracy CompetenceMath/Numeracy CompetenceStudent laid out the flashcards as follows

He DID NOT know that ‘5’ is to the immediate right of ‘4’because it is ONE MORE than ‘4’.To him, ‘3’ ‘4’ and ‘5’ are merely symbols, without meaning.He needs to be instructed in:

Standard: 1.CN.2 Understand the connections between numbers and the quantities they represent 

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AssessmentAssessmentMath/Numeracy CompetenceMath/Numeracy Competence

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AssessmentAssessmentMath/Numeracy CompetenceMath/Numeracy Competence

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AssessmentAssessmentMath/Numeracy CompetenceMath/Numeracy Competence

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AssessmentAssessmentMath/Numeracy CompetenceMath/Numeracy Competence

This approach worked for SOME students, but it still got fuzzy once the number of ‘dots’ exceeded 6 or 7

ENTER TOUCHMATH

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BreakthroughBreakthroughMath/Numeracy CompetenceMath/Numeracy CompetenceEach integer is endowed with a

TOUCHVALUE equal to its own identity

The integers 1 through 5 are pretty straight-forward. Here, the dots are ON THE NUMBER, rather than formed by a more distant association such as

= 3

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BreakthroughBreakthroughMath/Numeracy CompetenceMath/Numeracy CompetenceEach integer is endowed with a

TOUCHVALUE equal to its own identity

The remaining integers 6 through 9 (more than you can count on one hand) contain DOUBLE TouchValues.When students assess an integer’s value, they first count the doubles, as in 1-2, then look for the possible single value.

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SummarySummaryStudents first learn to SEQUENCE (rote

symbol memorization)Students next need to learn that each

integer has a unique reference to ‘number of objects’

Many approaches may work. TouchMath has received high marks when working with autistic populations

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Where to Get More InformationWhere to Get More Information TouchMath.com http://www.touchmath.com/index.cfm?fuseaction

=freestuff.welcome An educator’s view:

http://www.suite101.com/content/is-touchmath-effective-for-students-with-autism-a336253

DOE does not specifically endorse or officially use TOUCHMATH, but many Sp Ed schools make use of it

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Where to Get More InformationWhere to Get More InformationA copy of this Powerpoint presentation has

been archived at http://EDSE3801K.Tutor.2ya.com