Kelli Ratliff

Doing Math as Easy as 123

As a special needs teacher, it can be difficult for students with disabilities to remember basic math facts. In my classroom we practice math facts with repetitive practice, my students were beginning to lose confidence when I found out about the Times Tales program which helps students learn basic facts from addition to fact families. Cara Bafile states that “Today, researchers say that using mnemonics to help students “file” information more effectively makes it possible for them to retrieve the material more easily.” If a student is taught to effectively “file” information while learning, then as they get into more challenging topics in mathematics then they will have the basic building blocks to solve problems. As stated in the article using mnemonics can help students who learn at a different pace be just as successful as their peers. Students with disabilities often struggle to remember the basic math facts which they are required to use for the remainder of their lives. These students are often dependent upon a calculator to solve simple arithmetic problems.This program uses mnemonics to teach students ways to solve basic math problems from addition to multiplication.  Many of my students can not calculate simple basic math problems on their own. I plan to focus on this problem by using this program starting with addition and working through the multiplication. This will provide my students with techniques to solve basic math problems while they gain confidence in their mathematical abilities.  To achieve maximum success with this program my students will need to have a math center. This math center will provide them with alternate seating and workstation to practice skills taught while using the program. Alternate seating is an accommodation to students with disabilities which helps them focus on the assigned task.