Geometrical Awareness Enhances Numeracy in Children with Trisomy 21

Abstract

Background : Studies on cognition in children with Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21) have described poor performance manipulating numbers. Elisabetta Monari Martinez's (2002) research suggest that considering mathematics as a universe of exploration beyond written arithmetic can offer them an opportunity for “human flourishing” (Su, 2020). Geometry offers a suitable starting point. Objective : Exploring the use of geometrical activities for introducing children with T21 to integer and rational numbers. Design : A series of 7 workshops were designed to convey arithmetic concepts (counting, comparing and measuring) through plane geometry activities. Setting and Participants : Seven children aged 9 to 13, who had already completed a 3-year work on geometry, participated in the workshops held at the venue of the Spanish association Sesdown in Zaragoza, in leisure time. Data collection and analysis : Raw data consisted of 1) written reflections of lived experience (Van Manen, 1990) by all adults participating in the experiment, following a shared protocol observation guide; 2