Rethinking Maths, Dyscalculia & Confidence: Scaffolding, Practice, and Practical Tool
In part 3 of our latest episode DR Shae and Michael focus on lived experiences of dyslexia and other neurodivergent conditions and explore maths anxiety, shame, and the lasting trauma of school experiences such as being discouraged from using fingers.
The conversation reframes “not being good at maths” as a difficulty that can improve with time, patient step-by-step scaffolding, and regular practice, noting maths is cyclical and offers repeated chances to fill gaps compared with literacy. They discuss how breaks can erase progress, how anxiety reduces working memory, and share practical mental maths strategies (counting forwards/backwards, skip counting, counting in tens, “close to 10,” doubles/near doubles).
To reduce financial barriers, they recommend Ronit Bird’s The Dyscalculia Toolkit, Steven Chin’s Maths
Explained videos, and Eddie Woo, emphasising narrative context, hands-on learning, and that it’s possible to learn with the right support.
00:00 Welcome to Dear Dyslexic
00:37 Maths shame and labels
01:56 Rebuilding maths foundations
05:37 Practice without burnout
08:19 Counting drills and patterns
10:03 Mental maths strategies
12:32 Affordable learning resources
19:00 Learning through narrative
21:24 English origins and morphology
26:36 Hands on maths scaffolding
29:12 Final encouragement and wrap
If this podcast has caused you any distress, you live in Australia and need to speak to someone urgently, please contact:
- LifeLine on 13 11 14
- BeyondBlue counsellor on 1300 22 4636 13
- 13 Yarn (13 92 76)
Featured Resources
