Decided to bite the bullet

[Jester]

Hello,

 

long time no post but I could do with some words of wisdom/advice.

Back story- I am a qualified nursery nurse, worked in many settings from 1999. I did a degree in fine art in 2002 with a view to doing teacher training.I got a TA job in a school and rose up to working as an unqualified teacher, did GCSE maths at Adult education classes and upgraded my E to a D. Did a maths equivalency test and got 5% off the pass mark. Left it for a while while I raised my family. I went back to working in a school as a TA, I have recently qualified as a Forest School Leader and this is what i will be doing in September.

However, I feel I really need to swallow this frog and pass my maths once and for all and then maybe finally do my teacher training.

I have dyscalculia and suspected Irlens Syndrome which I am due to be tested for so I need all the help I can get.

Can any of you wise folk advise me on what resources to use for revision and perhaps how to get round my issues so that I can finally nail this maths once and for all. I'm thinking that even if I don't do teacher training after this at least I will have that C pass in maths that is so essential these days.

 

Thanks in advance!

[mundia]

Hi Jester, good to see you again.

well done for having the determination to give maths another go.

first, I'm sure you have researched the help you can get with exams if you have a recognised condition (such as having a reader, assisting technology, questions written on different coloured paper, etc). It's important that you know or learn to know what your specific diffuculties are, you may know already of course, so is reading the question difficult or understanding the maths you need, or is it a specific aspect of calculating? Or recognising numbers, recalling processes, fractions, or decimals? I know it all might sound a bit obvious, but you got a D'which means you can do some maths! Once you have worked out the bits you can do, and the bits you really struggle with, a teacher can help you with those bits. You may need a private tutor, often someone knows someone who can help. I've been called upon 4 times over the years to tutor someone who has struggled to get either the GCSE or their skills tests and a lot of it has been diagnostic. It's a bit like doing some research on yourself, with a bit of help if you can find it.

 

I wish you every bit of success possible.

[Jester]

Thank you so much for your reply Mundia.

Recalling processes is definitely one problem! they just won't stay in my head! also the print tends to swim around which is why it was thought it was dyslexia at first (doesn't explain my intolerance to spelling mistakes though and that I was in the top group for English at school)

I never really got the right support, I was told I was lazy at school and didn't put the work in, because I was good at other things I was left to get on with it. Wouldn't happen these days of course.

[Pimpernel]

My granddaughter has autism, dyslexia and Irlens and has just bought some specifically coloured glasses which have helped her immensely, although they were expensive they did enable her to sit her SAT's which was a major concern for her and us. Prior to this she was using different coloured plastic sheets which helped with the "letters jumping about".

[Upsy Daisy]

I know it wouldn't be cheap but I think I would look for an independent educational psychologist with a reputation for assessing pupils with dyscalculia and pay for an assessment. A good educational psychologist will carry out in depth assessments, spend plenty of time really getting to the bottom of what you find difficult and why and make recommendations for you, any tutor you use and an exam board.

 

Armed with this extra understanding and evidence for exam adjustments, you should have a much better chance of getting the grade you would like.

[Jester]

I know it wouldn't be cheap but I think I would look for an independent educational psychologist with a reputation for assessing pupils with dyscalculia and pay for an assessment. A good educational psychologist will carry out in depth assessments, spend plenty of time really getting to the bottom of what you find difficult and why and make recommendations for you, any tutor you use and an exam board.

 

Armed with this extra understanding and evidence for exam adjustments, you should have a much better chance of getting the grade you would like.

I have had this done when I was doing my degree. I have the full report somewhere. I am due to be formally tested for Irlens in a few weeks.