Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Availability

Open Access Thesis

Keywords

Brain-damaged children--Education; Learning disabilities; Mathematics--Study and teaching;

Abstract

A procedure of individual diagnosis and educational prescription was developed for classroom teachers in the regular school program. A means of gathering and managing data including the use of task analysis was recommended. The procedure was demonstrated in selected case studies. A five-part model was developed to systematically diagnose the learning problem manage the information gathered in the diagnosis, and present a prescription or teaching strategy to remediate the errors. Step I was the diagnosis of mathematical errors. Samples of mathematical computation were collected. Errors were selected for prescription if the student made systematic errors and if a series of lessons was needed to remediate the errors. Step II was the development and use of the Student Needs' Profile. The profile showed the student's strengths and weaknesses in four areas1 learning processes, mathematical skills, behavior characteristics, and perceptual abilities and disabilities. The learning processes of the students included cognitive style (concrete, symbolic, abstract), learning style (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, mixed), need for structure, method of presentation, method of responding, and method of reinforcing. Information was also gathered on arithmetic skills, pupil characteristics and perceptual abilities and disabilities. The prescription consisted of the three remaining steps. Step III, the instructional objective, indicated the behavior desired at the termination of the intervention based on the diagnostic information. Step IV, a task analysis, broke into sequential steps the concepts necessary to achieve the prescribed objective. The initial steps of the task analysis included some concepts the student had achieved. Step V, the lessons, followed logically from the diagnosis, the objective, and an effective task analysis. The lessons were suggested moves of the teacher to remediate the errors. The procedure was applied to twenty one case studies, selected from Project Mainstream classes or its waiting list at Woodrow Wilson Junior High School, Council Bluffs, Iowa. Project Mainstream consisted of diagnostic learning centers designed for students with difficulties learning. Although classroom teachers made suggestions and raised questions during the development of the procedure. no provision was made to insure implementation of the lessons. In each of the four case studies, a computational sample and the Student Needs' Profile were presented. The objective, task analysis, and lessons were suggested based upon the unique needs of the student. Comments and evaluation followed each case study to explain the use of diagnostic information, the reasons for the suggested instructional moves, and the good and bad points of the prescription.

Year of Submission

1975

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Mathematics

First Advisor

Jack D. Wilkinson

Second Advisor

Edward C. Rathmell

Third Advisor

John E. Tarr

Comments

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

1975

Object Description

1 PDF file (126 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

Included in

Mathematics Commons

Share

COinS