Math, inclusion and diversity from a learner’s perspective

This paper explores the pupils’ perspective of teaching Math to people with Down Syndrome. During spring 2010 the project ” Yes we can” has conducted a needs analysis about the needs of enhancing the teaching of mathematics to people with Down Syndrome. The basis of the analysis is a questionnaire directed towards 400 caregivers, professionals and parents to study the needs in terms of what to focus on and on how to improve mathematical teaching. It is the first time a study of this kind has been made. The survey was conducted in five countries: Austria, Romania, Germany, Italy and Denmark, by the University College Copenhagen. The questionnaire was directed towards 400 people who were either related as parents or professionals to people with Down syndrome. The overall aim of the project is to improve mathematical education by the development of an innovative methodology to train basic mathematical competences to potentially the 700.000 people suffering from the Down syndrome and to promote the training of key mathematical competences for this special target group.

Having sufficient basic mathematical competences would mean e.g. that these people can obtain important key elements of society participation by being able to participate in and manage their daily life. The survey is addressing a number of themes related to people with Down syndrome and their care persons; the mathematical competencies, skills and understanding, the attitudes towards Math and the beliefs of the caregivers. The analysis conducted within the needs analysis has focused upon the general results, the overall tendencies. Here, a lot of clear results seem to emerge from the survey. Some of the results are pointing to the distribution of competences and skills within the understanding of both verbal, conceptual and image related understanding as well as the distribution of relations between daily life and mathematical understanding, pointing to the importance to relate to daily life. An interesting finding in addition is the difference between professionals and parents in the estimation of mathematical skills and competences of the people with Down syndrome. Following the needs analysis results, in addition recommendations can be made as to the enhancement of teaching Math to people with Down syndrome. The learner’s position and perspective within the needs analysis has been constructed from data given by the caretakers. As an important supplement and to qualify the learner’s perspective, we use observations and interviews with people with Down Syndrome in the process of learning Math within the Yes We Can project.

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