Digital development and dyscalculia

Teacher(s)

Noël Marie-Pascale;

Language

French

Content

Topics: Cognitive bases of numerical development in typical children and in people with dyscalculia- Proto-numerical tools in babies, including the analog line metaphor (or ANS: approximate number system)
- Counting (development of the verbal numerical chain) and enumeration (principles and development of sets counting)
- Symbolic codes :
- oral/written verbal numbers, arabic numbers, lexicon, syntax, transcoding
- base 10 representation
- Access to the magnitude of large numbers
- Link between these basic numerical capabilities and arithmetic performance
- Calculation :

1. o Sensitivity to additions-removals in babies; non-verbal calculations in infants, approximate calculation ;
2. o strategy development, Siegler's association distribution model, base 10 for complex calculations

- word problem solving
- Rational numbers: decimal numbers and fractions
- Dyscalculia :

1. o definition, prevalence, difficulties presented, associations with other disorders,
2. o causal hypotheses (genetic contribution; role of general cognitive factors, deficit in basic numerical factors, etc.)
3. o neuro-functional correlates
4. - Rehabilitation and experimental training

- Special issues that may be considered:

1.  relationship between fingers and numbers ;
2. hypersensitivity to interference in arithmetic fact deficits;
3. deficit of the semantic representation of number in visuo-spatial dyspraxias.

Teaching methods

Lecture by the teacher. 

Evaluation methods

The certification evaluation is carried out by a written exam containing mostly open questions requiring a short and precise answer. The exam may also include some multiple choice questions. During the September session, if a very small number of students are registered for the exam, the teacher may decide to propose an oral exam instead of a written exam. 

Other information

Support: documents, powerpoint presentations etc available on Moodle, references to published articles; book in English can be used as a very good support for the course. 
The standard exam is a written exam in French. However, international students taking this course: 

• Will be allowed to use a dictionary when taking the written exam in French 
• Are provided with the opportunity to write all their answers in English

Online resources

Pdf documents corresponding to the slides of the course are available on moodle.
Other ressource: a synthesis from INSERM
http://www.ipubli.inserm.fr/bitstream/handle/10608/110/Synthese.html#titre_n1_10

Bibliography

Ouvrages de référence:

1. Noël, M.-P. & Karagiannakis, G. (2020). Dyscalculie et difficultés d’apprentissage en mathématiques. Guide pratique de prise en charge. De Boeck supérieur, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgique, 317 pages, ISBN : 978-2-8073-1899-1
2. Noël, M.P. & Karagiannakis, G. (2022). Effective teaching strategies for dyscalculia and learning difficulties in mathematics. Perspectives from cognitive neuroscience. Routledge, New York, 303 pages, ISBN 9781032151434. 

Faculty or entity

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