Below is a list of interesting research articles related to mathematics, dyscalculia, & learning:
"As brain areas mediating finger use might be co-activated whenever children need to access mental number representations, it does not seem advisable to forbid children using their fingers upon performing arithmetic problems. Rather, educators and teachers could take advantage of the fact that fingers may serve as concrete embodied tokens to represent number magnitude. Moreover, fingers mirror the base-10 number system, and moreover, are readily available to be used as back-up strategies. Thus, it is plausible to expect that the consistent use of fingers could positively affect the formation of mental number representations (by facilitating the mapping from concrete non-symbolic quantity knowledge to abstract symbolic number processing) and thus also the acquisition of calculation skills." (Liane Kaufmann, Educ Res (Windsor). 2008 Jun; 50(2): 163–175)
Kids with ADHD must squirm to learn, study says
New research shows that if you want ADHD kids to learn, you have to let them squirm. The foot-tapping, leg-swinging and chair-scooting movements of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are actually vital to how they remember information and work out complex cognitive tasks, according to a study. Credit: © Rawpixel / Fotolia
February 13, 2015 By Pat Curtis - RadioIowa.com
Researchers at Iowa State University are finding physical activity is a boon to the brains of elementary school students.
ISU kinesiology assistant professor Spyridoula Vazou says short bouts of skipping or jumping combined with academic learning can lead to improvement in kids’ cognitive abilities.
“We always have the traditional perception that kids need to sit down to learn or they need to stand still to learn better and that is not accurate,” Vazou says. A group of children around 10 years old took part in a study conducted by Vazou and associate professor Ann Smiley-Oyen.
The kids were given a test measuring cognitive function while sitting at a table. They then were asked to do physical activities like crab walking or skipping around obstacles – while they answered math problems. When they stopped the activity to do the test again, they performed better than they had while simply sitting. Vazou says it’s important that the activities are not too physically demanding.
“So, as long as the intensity is moderate, they benefit during exercise and they benefit even more right after (the exercise) because they can absorb the information even better,” Vazou says. Many other studies have found longer bouts of aerobic activity can improve cognition in children, but Vazou says the research at ISU suggests even short periods of activity can improve a child’s working memory, self-control, and focus.
Vazou hopes parents and teachers take notice of the study’s findings. “We shouldn’t suppress the desire of children to move, we should encourage them to move, because that is how their brain will function better,” Vazou says. The research at ISU also found that overweight and obese children showed even more cognition improvement after physical activity than their peers.
Photo courtesy of Spyridoula Vazou.
Researchers at Iowa State University are finding physical activity is a boon to the brains of elementary school students.
ISU kinesiology assistant professor Spyridoula Vazou says short bouts of skipping or jumping combined with academic learning can lead to improvement in kids’ cognitive abilities.
“We always have the traditional perception that kids need to sit down to learn or they need to stand still to learn better and that is not accurate,” Vazou says. A group of children around 10 years old took part in a study conducted by Vazou and associate professor Ann Smiley-Oyen.
The kids were given a test measuring cognitive function while sitting at a table. They then were asked to do physical activities like crab walking or skipping around obstacles – while they answered math problems. When they stopped the activity to do the test again, they performed better than they had while simply sitting. Vazou says it’s important that the activities are not too physically demanding.
“So, as long as the intensity is moderate, they benefit during exercise and they benefit even more right after (the exercise) because they can absorb the information even better,” Vazou says. Many other studies have found longer bouts of aerobic activity can improve cognition in children, but Vazou says the research at ISU suggests even short periods of activity can improve a child’s working memory, self-control, and focus.
Vazou hopes parents and teachers take notice of the study’s findings. “We shouldn’t suppress the desire of children to move, we should encourage them to move, because that is how their brain will function better,” Vazou says. The research at ISU also found that overweight and obese children showed even more cognition improvement after physical activity than their peers.
Photo courtesy of Spyridoula Vazou.
Parents Across America has developed a position paper and associated informational materials which detail a number of concerns about the invasion of EdTech* into our schools, and which we have collected under the title, "Our Children @ Risk."
This document is an annotated outline bibliography of resources used to inform their position paper and materials. References to the outline letters and numbering below are used parenthetically throughout PAA's informational materials to indicate the corresponding supportive research, documentation, expert opinion, and anecdotal and other background information. There is some overlap in the categories, and, of course, many of the sources quoted address more than one area of concern.
This document is an annotated outline bibliography of resources used to inform their position paper and materials. References to the outline letters and numbering below are used parenthetically throughout PAA's informational materials to indicate the corresponding supportive research, documentation, expert opinion, and anecdotal and other background information. There is some overlap in the categories, and, of course, many of the sources quoted address more than one area of concern.