Maths and Specific Learning Differences Symposium 2017

Symposium on Maths and Specific Learning Differences

University of Aberdeen, 9th June 2017

The 1^st Symposium on Maths and Specific Learning Differences was held on 9^th of June 2017 at the University of Aberdeen. The symposium was open to lecturers, tutors and advisers involved in Maths and/or Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) support at university.

The Symposium was the first opportunity for Maths Support Advisers and Scottish Maths Support Network (SMSN) members to meet with SpLD Advisers/Tutors and ADSHE members in Scotland. The purpose of the meeting was to look at different models of collaborative work with a view to developing good practice guidelines.

The themes that were explored were:

· What Maths Advisers should know about Specific Learning Differences

· What Dyslexia and SpLD tutors should know about Maths at University

· Transitions, Maths and SpLDs

· ‘Hidden Maths’ within the curriculum and the impact on students with SpLDs

· How to make best use of Assistive Technology

A total of 26 Maths Support Practitioners, Learning Differences Specialists and Disability Advisers from Scotland and England attended the event. The keynote speaker was Dr Emma Cliffe, Maths and Statistics Resource Centre Development Officer at the University of Bath. Emma is qualified as an academic skills adviser in both Maths and Specific Learning Differences, is the co-chair of the SIGMA Accessibility SIG group and won the 2016 SIGMA Prize for Outstanding Contribution for her work in the field. Emma talked about out her experience of working with students with SpLDs in Maths and STEM subjects. The afternoon was a hands-on session where participants had to work in groups of mixed specialties to design strategies for 2 fictitious students with SpLDs with a particular Maths problem.