Syftet med den här studien är att utveckla en förståelse för om eller hur den undervisning som förespråkas i Matematiklyftet skapar möjligheter till en ökad måluppfyllelse för SUM-elever (SUM-särskilda utbildningsbehov i matematik)? I studien har en kvalitativ textanalys av innehållet i Matematiklyftets modul ”Taluppfattning och tals användning årskurs 1-3” genomförts för att studera undervisningen och hur den möter SUM-elevernas särskilda utbildningsbehov i matematik. Studien visar att Matematiklyftet förordar en undervisning som i hög grad överensstämmer med forskning om lämplig undervisning för SUM-elever men genom studien har några svagheter identifierats. Bland annat har SUM-elever i regel behov av en mer strukturerad, explicit och lärarledd undervisning än vad som huvudsakligen rekommenderas i Matematiklyftet. SUM-elever är även i stort behov av en cyklisk undervisning med repetition och regelbundna återkopplingar till tidigare undervisningsområden något som inte framhävs tydligt i materialet. Trots dessa anmärkningar så menar vi att den undervisning som rekommenderas i Matematiklyftet både stärker och lyfter undervisningens kvalité för alla elever vilket borde skapa möjligheter till en ökad måluppfyllelse. / The aim of this study is to analyze if or how the teaching that is stipulated in Matematiklyftet creates opportunities for better achievements for SEN-students (SEN- special education needs). We performed a qualitative text analysis of the content of the module “Taluppfattning och tals användning årskurs 1-3” (Number sense and the use of number in grade 1-3) in Matematiklyftet to study how it meet the SEN-students special educational needs in mathematics . The study shows that teaching advocated for SEN-students in Matematiklyftet largely correspond with current research. However, the study also exposes some weaknesses in Matematiklyftet with recommendations not in line with available research. For example SEN-students usually needs a more structured, explicit and teacher-led instruction than  recommended in Matematiklyftet. SEN- students are also in great need of a cyclical teaching with regular feedback and rehearsal of past teaching areas which are not clearly highlighted in Matematiklyftet. We think that despite these weaknesses, Matematiklyftet will fulfil its role by strengthen and develop the teaching quality for all students, which should create opportunities for increased achievement.

For many years, I have tried to understand why students end up in difficulties in mathematics. As a future teacher, it is extremely important to have knowledge of the various factors that leads to difficulties in mathematics. As a teacher it is obvious to meet the students who find mathematics a difficult subject, and, therefore it is necessary to have a broader knowledge of how to respond and support these students. According to Ahlberg, number of students with mathematics difficulties is increasing every year, therefore, it is important to help students and organize a supporting school environment that promotes and encourages learning (Ahlberg 2001, p. 104-105). The aim of this degree project is find out, with the help of selected teachers, various factors that may lead to the basis for the students’ mathematics difficulties. The aim is also to find out how teachers work in order to support students with mathematics difficulties. I interviewed four trained mathematics teachers. All pedagogues have years of experience of teaching students with mathematics difficulties and all have had mathematics in their undergraduate studies. In my interviews, I used a tape recorder so that I could focus on questions, answers, and also be involved in as well as reflect over what was said. The results showed that there are various reasons for difficulties in mathematics and different ways of working to address student´s difficulties in mathematics. Mathematics difficulties can depend on emotional obstructions, a poor self-confidence, planning difficulties, a poor working memory, language difficulties, reading and writing difficulties and deficiencies in the didactical field. The result also showed that students’ difficulties can be reduced through dialogue, group works and a laboratory work.

To have a basic number sense is important for mathematical understanding. Interventions in preschool class has shown significant positive effects on student’s mathematical development throughout elementary school. The purpose of this study was to find out the effects of individually designed intensive training on some preschool students with inadequate number sense. The intention was also to demonstrate how the intenvention could be designed as a preventive measure according to the reading, writing, counting guarantee introduced in Swedish school law on July 1st, 2019. The FoNS framework's eight categories, which together constitute basic number sense, has been used as theory and action research was chosen as a method to gain further knowledge of one's own practice and how to further develope it. A quantitative approach in form of a single case design with comparative figures has been used. The study also has a qualitative approach, by analysing the figures qualitatively, and putting them in context. The result showed that a structured, individual intervention can develop significant effects of the number sense. Six preschool students, at the age of six, who in surveys showed shortcomings in the basic number sense received intensive education for five weeks, three times a week, in pair. The study showed that short, intensive interventions can have a good effect if they are individually tailored, structured, well-planned and performed with few students at a time. Four of the survey group's six participants made a marked increase in results from pre- to post-test. Two pupils will need further efforts to achieve an age-appropriate number sense. The study shows that early intensive tuition in mathematics can be a preventive way of working for the special need teacher to prevent math difficulties.

Elever som hamnar i matematiksvårigheter ska, utöver ledning och stimulans, genom extra anpassningar och/eller särskilt stöd få det stöd som krävs för att de ska kunna nå utbildningens mål. Elever erbjuds i en del fall, utöver stöd från ämneslärare i helklass, särskilt stöd av speciallärare, specialpedagoger eller lärare med specialpedagogisk kompetens. Det stödet kan ges i särskild undervisningsgrupp till skillnad från stöd från lärare som ges i den ordinarie undervisningen. Elever får därför undervisning av olika lärare och i den här studien undersöks lärarsamarbete kring undervisning av dessa elever. Syftet är att undersöka hur några ämneslärare, speciallärare/specialpedagog och lärare med specialpedagogisk kompetens i matematik samarbetar i det dagliga arbetet kring elever i behov av särskilt stöd. I den småskaliga studien undersöks lärarnas samarbete kring elever som delar sin undervisning och går mellan en klassrumssituation och en särskild undervisningsgrupp. Det är en kvalitativ studie där data har samlats in via semistrukturerade intervjuer. Elva lärare har deltagit i studien. Lärare avser här ämneslärare, speciallärare/specialpedagog och lärare med specialpedagogisk kompetens. Studiens resultat visar att skolorna oftast har en ”studio” eller motsvarande dit eleverna går vissa lektioner men att det verkar saknas ett systematiskt samarbete kring elever som får stöd i särskild undervisningsgrupp. I ”studion” finns större tillgång till laborativt och konkret material jämfört med i det vanliga klassrummet samt att fler uppgifter görs muntligen där. När eleven deltar i helklassundervisning ges eleven extra anpassningar i form av att läraren väljer vilka uppgifter eleven ska göra, möjlighet till paus under lektion och eleven arbetar oftast tyst för sig själv. De faktorer som påverkar samarbetet mellan lärarna upplevs vara organisation, kommunikation och relation.

The purpose of this empirical study is to investigate special needs education teachers’ perception and knowledge before the concepts of mathematics difficulties and dyscalculia. We chose to emanate from three main questions. What meaning do the concepts of math difficulties and dyscalculia have for special needs education teachers? What do special needs education teachers think about the actuality regarding dyscalculia? What are the different approaches implemented by special needs education teachers towards mathematics difficulties and dyscalculia? Qualitative interviews were chosen as method because we believe that a survey would be too shallow and statistical. Responses may be too monotonous and short. By selecting interview as an information retrieval method gives us the opportunity to go more in depth with the help of supplementary questions, personal interaction and observation of the interviewee. The special needs education teachers we interviewed mostly agree with one another, however sometimes their perceptions differed which has led to an interesting and nuanced result. The result has given us many different approaches and beliefs facing difficulties in mathematics and dyscalculia, these makes us better equipped for our future students with difficulties in math. A definite conclusion from this study is that all our respondents jointly agreed that use of exploratory practical material and group works were suitable towards students with dyscalculia or math difficulties.

Många elever kämpar med matematikämnet i skolan. Dessa elever får inte alltid rätt stöttning vid rätt tid vilket kan resultera i att eleverna inte klarar grundskolan. Skolan har ett kompensatoriskt uppdrag och har en skyldighet att snabbt identifiera eleven i behov och sätta in rätt stödinsatser. Det finns olika former av stödinsatser där en kallas för extra anpassning. Det är en förhållandevis ny reform och lärare känner sig osäkra kring vad den egentligen innebär. Syftet med arbetet är således att bidra med kunskap om skolors kvalitetsarbete med extra anpassningar i matematik. Insamlingsmetoden som använts för att uppfylla syftet är dokumentinsamling samt intervjuer med verksamma lärare. Specialpedagogiska perspektiv har använts för att analysera resultatet. Slutsatserna av studien antyder att skolornas kvalitetsarbete med extra anpassningar i matematik skiljer sig åt beroende på vilka svårigheter eleverna anses ha. / Many students battle with math in school. These students don’t always get the right aid in time which can result in them not graduating from elementary school. The school has a compensatory commitment and an obligation to identify the student in needs quickly and introduce the required aid. There are various forms of support, one is called additional adjustments. It is a comparatively new reform and teachers feel uncertain about what the aid should actually entail. The purpose of this study is therefore to contribute with knowledge about schools quality work with additional adjustments in mathematics. Documents have been collected and interviews with active teachers have been performed to fulfil the purpose. Perspectives on special pedagogy have been used to analyze the result. Conclusions of the study suggest that the schools quality work with additional adjustments in mathematics differ depending on which difficulties the students are believed to have.

It is not uncommon for math difficulties and reading difficulties to occur simultaneously. Despite this, math and reading difficulties are thought to have different cognitive profiles where math difficulties are linked to number sense; an innate ability to understand, approximate and manipulate both quantities and numerical information, whereas reading difficulties are linked to phonological ability; an innate ability to understand, create representations of and manipulate phonological information. A possible link between the difficulties is that phonological abilities also could affect mathematical ability. Support for this comes from studies where comorbid math and reading difficulties are associated with more severe difficulties in arithmetic ability compared to those with isolated math difficulties. The purpose of this study is to examine whether isolated math difficulties, isolated reading difficulties and comorbid math and reading difficulties can be linked to deficits in number sense, phonological ability or both of these, and whether comorbid math and reading difficulties differ in performance in mathematical tasks compared to isolated math difficulties for children in second grade. The study was carried out by testing 161 second grade children in arithmetic performance, reading performance, number sense and phonological ability. Based on performance in arithmetic and reading participants were divided into four groups: math difficulties (MD), reading difficulties (LD), comorbid math and reading difficulties (MD/LD) and control group. Statistical comparisons between groups were calculated by use of ANCOVAs, with non-verbal intelligence as covariate, and by independent t-test. Results gave partial support for the proposed core deficits for math and reading difficulties respectively, mainly concerning math difficulties and number sense deficits. The MD group performed significantly poorer in the non-symbolic number sense test.The group LD did not perform significantly poorer in respect to any task. The group MD/LD performed significantly poorer regarding subtraction, symbolic number sense tests and phonological awareness. Based on these results it can be discussed whether a link between number sense deficits and phonological awareness deficits may cause difficulty with learning and manipulating symbolic digit number. / Det är inte ovanligt att matematiksvårigheter förekommer tillsammans med lässvårigheter. Däremot förefaller matematiksvårigheter och lässvårigheter ha skilda kognitiva profiler där matematiksvårigheter kopplas till bristande number sense; en medfödd förmåga för att förstå, approximera och manipulera kvantiteter och numerisk information, medan lässvårigheter kopplas till bristande fonologisk förmåga; en medfödd förmåga att förstå, skapa representationer för och manipulera fonologisk information. En möjlig länk mellan svårigheterna är att fonologisk förmåga även kan påverka den matematiska förmågan. Stöd för detta har framkommit i studier där komorbida matematik- och lässvårigheter kopplats till mer uttalade matematiksvårigheter i jämförelse med isolerade matematiksvårigheter. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att undersöka huruvida isolerade matematiksvårigheter, isolerade lässvårigheter samt komorbida matematik- och lässvårigheter kan kopplas till bristande number sense, bristande fonologisk förmåga eller båda samt huruvida komorbida matematik- och lässvårigheter skiljer sig gentemot isolerade matematiksvårigheter gällande matematiksvårigheternas omfattning hos barn i andra klass. För att besvara syftet testades 161 barn i andra klass gällande aritmetisk färdighet, läsfärdighet, number sense och fonologisk förmåga. Efter sin prestation i matematik och läsningdelades deltagarna in i fyra grupper; matematiksvårigheter (MS), lässvårigheter (LS), komorbida matematik- och lässvårigheter (MS/LS) samt kontrollgrupp. Statistiska jämförelser beräknades mellan grupperna genom kovariansanalyser (ANCOVA), med icke-verbal intelligens som kovariat, samt genom oberoende t-test. Resultatet gav delvis stöd för den tänkta kärnproblematiken för matematiksvårigheter respektive lässvårigheter, främst gällande matematiksvårigheter och bristande number sense. Gruppen MS var signifikant sämre på ett icke-symboliskt number sense-test. Gruppen LS var inte signifikant sämre gällande något test. Gruppen MS/LS var signifikant sämre gällande subtraktion och symboliska number sense-test samt gällande fonologisk medvetenhet. Utifrån resultatet diskuteras huruvida en länk mellan bristande number sense och bristande fonologisk medvetenhet kan orsaka svårigheter med inlärning och hantering av symboliska siffertal.