Special needs · Dyscalculia

Math lessons students can see, touch and build

Pencil Spaces helps students with dyscalculia see math, with grid paper, neat notation, real objects on camera and a visible record of every step they take.

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Area

Cognition and learning

Who it helps

Students with dyscalculia or math learning difficulties, math tutors, specialist teachers and families

What lessons need

Concrete and visual models, small steps, neat layout, low anxiety, lots of practice

In Pencil Spaces

7 features available today

Part of

Special needs, need by need

What do students with dyscalculia need from an online lesson?

Dyscalculia makes number sense, place value and math facts hard to hold onto. Online lessons work when math stays concrete and visual, steps stay small and the student can see their own working laid out clearly.

Numbers that line upBoard Backgrounds · AvailableGrid and dot paper keep columns straight, so place value is visible on the page.
Real objects on cameraDocument Camera · AvailableShow counters, base-ten blocks or a number line on a document camera or phone, and mark them up live.
Neat notation, however they writeEquation Editor · AvailableWrite math with LaTeX, a keyboard or freehand handwriting, and it appears as neat notation on the board.
Math apps on the boardApp Library · AvailableOpen web apps such as Desmos on the board and use them together, with touch on tablets.
A calculator when it’s allowedGadgets · AvailableA calculator, graphing calculator or periodic table opens beside the lesson, seen only by the student who opened it.
One step at a timeLock Items · AvailableLock a worked example in place, and the student writes the next step beside it without anything moving.
Confidence that buildsProgress Review · AvailableA summary across many lessons shows students how far they’ve come, so one hard week doesn’t feel like failure.

The features behind it

Why can online lessons be hard for students with dyscalculia?

Abstract math on a flat screen is hard for anyone. For a learner with dyscalculia, a mouse-drawn number line and a fast explanation can hide the very idea they need to see.

Math anxiety often comes with dyscalculia. Being put on the spot in front of others, or seeing a page of mistakes, can stop a student trying at all.

What does a lesson look like in Pencil Spaces?

The tutor sets the board to grid paper and puts ten counters under the document camera. The student copies the groups onto the board with a stylus, one square per counter.

The worked example stays locked in place while they try the next one. Confetti marks the moment it clicks.

Tips for teaching students with dyscalculia online

Start concrete, then move to pictures, then symbols, and go back a step whenever it slips.
Keep one problem on screen at a time, with plenty of space around it.
Use the same visual models, such as a number line or ten frame, every lesson.
Praise strategies and effort, and treat mistakes on the board as things to learn from.
Allow a calculator for the arithmetic when the goal is reasoning.

Questions people ask

Can you teach a student with dyscalculia online?

Yes, when lessons stay concrete and visual. Tutors show real objects on a document camera and use grid paper to keep place value straight. Students write math by hand with a stylus or finger, and every board stays in the Space.

How do students write math without a mouse?

Students write with a finger on a touchscreen, a stylus or a Wacom pen. The Equation Editor also turns typed or handwritten math into neat notation, so a messy number never hides a right answer.

Can students use a calculator in the lesson?

Yes. Gadgets open a calculator, graphing calculator or periodic table beside the lesson, seen only by the student who opened it. Use it when the goal is reasoning rather than arithmetic.

Can we use our own math manipulatives?

Yes. Show physical manipulatives on a document camera or phone camera, or open web apps on the board. If your program has its own tools, we can build them as custom apps that run inside every Space.