Maths instruction in schools

The development of basic number skills is important for everyday living. Research suggests that children with Down syndrome find learning number skills more difficult than learning to read. Little is understood about why this might be the case and the extent to which teaching methodologies might influence progress. Recent pilot work has suggested that a structured approach, accompanied with materials that physically represent mathematical and number concepts may accelerate children's progress.

Research

This study will investigate the effectiveness of this approach to number teaching through a randomised controlled trial involving 50 children with Down syndrome aged 5-11 years attending mainstream schools across 2 locations in the UK.

The children's Learning Support Assistants will be trained to deliver the maths programme in an individual session each day over a whole school year. The children will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group will receive the training programme in the first year of the project and the other group will receive the programme during the second year.

This 'waiting list' design, with random assignment to group, is essential to give unambiguous evidence of the effectiveness of the programme. All children in the programme will eventually receive the programme and they will all receive regular assessment of number, reading, language and related skills throughout both years to check on their progress.

Investigators

to be appointed

Partners and advisors

Tony Wing, Gillian Bird, Sue Buckley

Location

This is a multi-centre study taking place at:

Education

Study results will be published in peer-reviewed scientific publications. Practice implications will be published in periodicals for families and professionals, including Down Syndrome Research and Practice and incorporated into freely available Down Syndrome Topics advice and information summaries and Down Syndrome Issues and Information books. Open Access articles and summaries will be provided for reproduction in the newsletters and journals of associations, support groups and professional societies. The study results will also be shared through the charity's training courses and its contributions to conferences in the UK and worldwide.

Impact

Evaluation of classroom maths instruction programme designed for children with Down syndrome
Improved understanding of number learning for children with Down syndrome
Practical guidance for teaching number skills and mathematics to children with Down syndrome