
In a story for The 74, MƒA Master Teachers Maureen Stewart and Dawn Pagliaro-Newman detail their growing understanding and teaching of Dyscalculia, a math-related learning disorder. Dyscalculia hinders students’ ability in math, such as difficulty understanding place value — despite multiple explanations — or trouble memorizing basic math facts.
Educators from the United States and Canada have been meeting online since last year in a group called “Overthink Tank” to share the latest research and best practices on this lesser-known disorder.
Maureen Stewart, a seven-year Math for America Master Teacher — the nonprofit MƒA was founded in 2004 to help retain and nurture outstanding New York City math and science educators — is grateful for the outlet. But, she said, identifying children as having the disorder is only the first step in helping them.
“The label is really not as important as the strategy,” said Stewart, who works in Brooklyn and has 17 years of teaching experience. “We have to be aware as educators, what am I seeing in this child and what does it really mean? It’s not like a checklist, and if you have everything on this checklist, you therefore have this thing.”
...
Despite these ongoing challenges, Dawn Pagliaro-Newman — also an MƒA Master Teacher in Brooklyn — is hopeful about teachers’ growing understanding of the disorder
“Because discussions of dyslexia, autism, and other neurodivergence have become more commonplace, I find that parents and educators are now turning their attention to math,” she said.
“I am very excited about the conversations that are being had in the education community about how best to support these learners — as well as the questions being asked regarding much-needed research and funding.”