This section of our website is continually being updated with relevant information and is categorised according to the education cycle. We endeavor to provide information from various world-wide Down syndrome websites and therefore it may be necessary to adjust for local settings.
Numicon
What is Numicon? Numicon is a multi-sensory approach to arithmetic teaching that uses patterns that are structured to encourage the understanding of number and number relationships. Numicon uses special ‘number shapes’ in a series of practical teaching activities. The maths shapes help children to understand number values and relationships more easily, as it uses visual concrete stimuli.
Why Numicon? Pupils & ‘Users’ (i.e. Students, Teachers/Support, Parents/Guardians etc.) have been shown to be readily more motivated by Numicon® than more traditional methods alone, and quickly develop positive attitudes to maths, resulting in raised achievement. From completing the training day participants will:
- Gain an overview of the Numicon teaching programme and the rationale.
- Gain an understanding how Numicon is an inclusive approach to support typically developing children and those with special needs.
- Receive plenty of practical experience with Numicon so you are confident to use it as a part of their maths teaching, and or confident to support others using it.
Down Syndrome Galway put on training on a yearly basis usually in October for Schools and Parents with trainer Rose Ann Basquel.
Adult Education Ability programme
Down Syndrome Galway in collaboration with Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board (GRETB) established the one-day work skills course in October 2019 which runs over two years. Down Syndrome Ireland designed the content with Accenture while a GRETB tutor is delivering the content to the adult learners. Down Syndrome Galway hope to add to the Adult Education Ability Programme by getting the ‘Latch On’ module of the programme up and running in October 2020 depending on public health advice. Please see DSI Adult Education Prospectus and link to Latch on programme
DSI Adult Education Prospectus 2020