Abstract
Success in primary and secondary school mathematics is becoming increasingly important to today’s teachers, students, parents and employment providers in Australia. Mathematics is viewed as high status and essential for a range of employment opportunities. The Disability Standards for Education [1] and the Australian Curriculum, Reporting and Assessment Authority [2] underscore the rights of students with disability to access the curriculum on the same basis as students without disability. They are entitled to rigorous, relevant and engaging learning opportunities drawn from Australian Curriculum content on the same basis as students without disability. Taking this context into account, this paper provides a work-in-progress report about a two year mathematics intervention project conducted in twelve special schools (Preparatory to Year 12) in Queensland, Australia. The purpose of the project was to address an important problem related to the mathematics achievement of students with disability. It aimed to build the capacity of the schools and teachers in relation to teaching mathematics to their students and to identify and make sense of the intervening program’s impact. It combined two approaches, appreciative inquiry [3] and action research [4] to monitor schools’ planning for change. Interim findings demonstrated that teachers were concerned about their students’ underachievement in mathematics and how to assess this and that multi-sensory forms of teaching and learning advocated in the program increased students’ engage and performance. The adoption of reflective teacher portfolios demonstrated their usefulness for engaging teachers in appreciative inquiry and action research to monitor the implementation and impact of the program in their schools and classrooms.
Highlights
Education is an anti-poverty strategy to protective children and young people with disability from disadvantage yet, in Australia they are less likely to access an education that provides the best possible education outcomes
Progression from childhood is highly likely to be that of young people with disability and subsequently “adults with disability who have greatly reduced life opportunities” [5 p35]
This progression leads to reduced economic security, reinforces society’s low expectations of people with disability and underlies a life entrenched in a cycle of poverty and disadvantage [6]
Summary
Education is an anti-poverty strategy to protective children and young people with disability from disadvantage yet, in Australia they are less likely to access an education that provides the best possible education outcomes. Progression from childhood is highly likely to be that of young people with disability and subsequently “adults with disability who have greatly reduced life opportunities” [5 p35] This progression leads to reduced economic security, reinforces society’s low expectations of people with disability and underlies a life entrenched in a cycle of poverty and disadvantage [6]. Forty-five percent of Australians with disabilities live in, or near, the poverty line [9]; more than double the OECD average of 22 percent [6, 8] Their preparation in literacy and numeracy through formal education for post-school life in activities such as employment, vocational training or higher education is critical to moving towards an independent adult life and breaking the cycle of such disadvantage
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