Math, Technology and UDL: Closing the Achievement Gap

The Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) applied UDL guidelines to the design of these puzzles that can be used at different grade levels and can be solved in many ways. Here is what they say about the features of these UDL math puzzles.

"All iSolveIt puzzles are designed with the following features:

• The puzzle sets do not connect to any specific content in the math curriculum, so they can be used throughout a yearlong curriculum.
• There are several different ways to solve the puzzles, and many puzzles have more than one solution.
• Each puzzle format has multiple levels of complexity. Students can select puzzles that they find challenging and do not have to follow any specific path through the puzzle set.
• Each puzzle format has the potential for unlimited puzzles at different levels of difficulty, and puzzles also can be solved multiple times. This ensures that the puzzles can easily be used throughout the school year.
• All puzzle formats include embedded supports designed for the specific format and based on the principles of UDL. The supports will aid reasoning skills but do not reveal the solution."

Appropriate for any pre-school setting, Equals PreK from ablenet curriculum provides instruction and materials for teaching foundational skills of counting, subitizing, cardinality, 1:1 correspondence, color and shape identification, math vocabulary, matching and sorting by attributes, joining and separating to construct sets, basic patterns, building shapes and designs with 2-D shapes, comparisons of amounts and length, one more and one less, and beginning quantitative and positional concepts.

Discover math tools and resources that can support learning for learners with disabilities and their classmates. A searchable database is included on this site with the ability to select IDEA disability categories, grade levels, operating systems and the Math CCSS.   

"Now you can do math without holding a pencil. Panther Math Paper  app integrated the principle of Universal Design into an elegant interface that allows people to work independently on "digital paper". Math Paper offers the foundations to learn simple arithmetic, and the power to do complicated equations."

Check out the new interactive math games for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division designed to be engaging and fun for your learners!

Thank you to Colleen King of Math Playground who offers these great games for free online and on mobile devices. Take a look at the other great games she has recently created.

 "This video series introduces key Common Core concepts in 6th grade mathematics. Each video focuses on building conceptual understanding of a topic, so that students understand the “how” and “why” behind mathematical problem solving. 

Use these videos with your students as topical introductions to topics including integers, the concept of ratios, unit rates, percent, and division with fractions."

PBS Learning Media has put together a set of videos to support learners in math. Take a look around and you will discover brand new, original content from PBS including Peg + Cat (Pre-K) and the PBS Math Club (Grades 6-8)!

Developed in the UK, Mathsframes offers a set of 170+ free and interactive games in math for children ages 7-11. These interactive games are desgned to help children visualise numbers, patterns and numerical relationships and to develop their mathematical thinking.

PBS Learning Media has a collection of over 800 resources to support math learning and instruction. This collection includes videos, interactives and self-paced lessons that can support a K-12 math curriculum. Your learners will love it!

Discover the problem solving games that kids go back to over and over at Math Playground. While you are there, take a look around to other games and word problem tools like Thinking Blocks that get kids engaged in math.

What a fantastic set of apps to support young learners in geometry! This site should be shared with elementary teachers everywhere!

Todo Math is designed for all students in grades Pre-K to 2. Children with special needs, children who don't have adequate grade-level preparation, and English language learners will receive the greatest benefit from our Universal Design for Learning approach. Todo Math is a personalized 1:1 tool, but has also been implemented successfully as a small group choice activity in the classroom.

If you have not discovered Math Playground, do not miss this incredible resource that has fraction games, manipulatives, word problems and yes, videos to support every learner in understanding fractions. This is one place that you will come back to over and over to support your instruction in math and in helping learners understand fractions. Kids just love these games!

Don't miss these fabulous resources and activities in the Geometry Playground that can support your geometry instruction and engage your learners. Take a look at the menu where there is a visual display of Seeing, Moving and Fitting Things Together in Geometry.

One of the Best Math Apps that features:

> Simultaneous play for up to four different players

> Four virtual keypads built for multi-touch action

> 21 missions based on three different skill levels

> All binomial addition/subtraction equations for numbers 1-20

> All binomial multiplication/division equations for numbers 1-1

> Ability to select missions based on skill level and operators. (+, −, +/−, ×, ÷, ×/÷ and +/−/×/÷)

> Engaging narration and spy-themed soundtrack

Designed for ages 9-11.