Using digital environments to address students\u2019 mathematical learning difficulties

The need to deal with different cognitive necessities of students in the mathematical classroom, and in particular of students who persistently fail in mathematics, frequently referred to as "having mathematical learning difficulties or disabilities" (MLD), has become an important topic of research in mathematics education and in cognitive psychology. Though frameworks for analyzing students' difficulties and/or for designing inclusive activities are still quite fragmentary, the literature rather consistently suggests that technology can support the learning of students with different learning characteristics. The focus of this chapter is on providing insight into this issue by proposing analyses of specific software with a double perspective. We will analyze design features of the selected software, based on the potential support these can provide to students' learning processes, in particular those of students classified as having MLD. We will also analyze some interactions that actually occurred between students and the software, highlighting important qualitative results from recent studies in which we have been involved

Diagnostics and Intervention in Developmental Dyscalculia: Current Issues and Novel Perspectives

Developmental dyscalculia is one of the most prevalent learning disorders observed in children. However, it has received much less research interest than, for instance, developmental dyslexia. Thus our knowledge about aetiology, aetiopathology and symptomatology of dyscalculia remains patchy; and empirically validated approaches on remediation and intervention are still scarce. In the current chapter we first discuss the theoretical underpinnings of developmental dyscalculia, paying particular attention to its still debated aetiology: Some authors suggest the heterogeneous symptoms of developmental dyscalculia to be caused by a single underlying deficit of the number sense, while others propose different deficits in basic numerical competencies as its determinants (as observed in adult acalculia). Second, the implications of this differentiation on dyscalculia diagnostics are discussed. In particular, we focus on the importance of cut off criteria, sample selection, and their influence on the epidemiology of developmental dyscalculia. In a third section, the issue of comorbidity and its estimation will be evaluated. And finally, existing intervention approaches are reviewed in light of their theoretical underpinnings and practical applications. We conclude that we are on a promising way to better understand, diagnose and treat brain-based dyscalculia with innovative novel methodology.publishe