Examining Programming "Tools" - Discover Math

Unless you are a math specialist, or a franchised math center, finding a good math program has been difficult. I began searching a few years ago and quickly found out that many of my colleagues faced the same dilemma.

What we found - Over the years we have looked at a number of math programs, but nothing really filled the need.  Everything available on the market seemed to have shortcomings:

• Some were just for young children
  
• One was just too much work...the program would take years to get through
  
• Most were not complete enough - It's easy to find "little bits and pieces" that apply to specific math concepts.  What we weren't finding as an approach that "begins at the beginning" and follows through to the higher levels.
  
• Not high enough levels

We needed a better math program - We really had nothing in place that allowed us to say, "We do math" in the same way that we say, "We do reading." And we keep getting calls for people who needed serious help in the math arena.

Enter Discover Math, which takes a unique approach - What makes Discover Math different from other math programs is that is built on Alan Pavio's dual coding theory.  The theory says that we have two systems for storing and retrieving information - verbal and non-verbal.

Discover Math starts each new concept by understanding what that concept looks like "in reality."  Using 3 dimensional manipulatives, students explore the concepts and put them into words.  Only after they "get it" do they start putting the math down onto paper.

The net effect is that students don't just "do math," the understand it.

And best of all, it takes this approach all the way into Algebra and Geometry.

Where it came from - Discover Math is the "brain child" of Canadian author and program developer Dr. Steven Truch. Steve owns clinics in Calgary and Vancouver, is the developer of Discover Reading, and has contributed considerable research in the field of learning disabilities.

After looking over the programs that were available, he took the best foundations and developed Discover Math for his own clinics.  He began publishing the program once he had seen the results with his own students.

Added Bonus - Because the program has us talk through each concept, I can work on comprehension strategies, visual memory, reasoning, problem solving, and expressive language all while focusing on math!  it gives us another way to exercise and strengthen those underlying processing skills.

What the program includes - Finally, I like the fact that the training comes with all the materials, including the right to photocopy the extensive resource materials.

Discover Math has let us feel as good about our math services as we do about every other area we specialize in.