Mathematics teaching practices in a special school for blind students

César Lizárraga-Ojeda; Juan Luis Piñeiro

doi:10.29333/iejme/17914

Full Text (PDF)

César Lizárraga-Ojeda ¹ , Juan Luis Piñeiro ¹ ^*

More Detail

¹ Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Santiago, CHILE^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

The relationship between mathematics education and visual impairment has historically fallen short in providing learners with meaningful access to mathematical understanding, often relying on practices that limit students’ agency. This study analyzes the work of three teachers at a Chilean special school for blind students. Their lessons were recorded, transcribed, and examined using the NCTM’s eight effective teaching practices as the analytical framework. The findings reveal a persistent emphasis on memorization and procedural reproduction, with few opportunities for reflection, reasoning, or engagement with multiple representations. These instructional patterns constrain students’ access to a full mathematics education and highlight structural tensions that warrant attention.

Keywords

school for blind students
special education teacher
mathematics teaching practices

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

INT ELECT J MATH ED, Volume 21, Issue 1, February 2026, Article No: em0870

https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/17914

Publication date: 15 Feb 2026

Article Views: 31

Article Downloads: 11

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Abrahamson, D., Flood, V. J., Miele, J., & Siu, Y.-T. (2018). Enactivism and ethnomethodological conversation analysis as tools for expanding Universal Design for Learning: the case of visually impaired mathematics students. ZDM Mathematics Education, 51, 291-303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-018-0998-1
ACE. (2024). Informe de resultados nacionales. Estudiantes en situación de discapacidad sensorial [National results report. Students with sensory disabilities]. Agencia de Calidad de la Educación. https://s3.amazonaws.com/archivos.agenciaeducacion.cl/Informe+Estudiantes+en+Situaci%C3%B3n+de+Discapacidad+4%C2%B0+b%C3%A1sico+y+II+medio+(final).pdf
Andreou, Y., & Kotsis, K. T. (2005). Mathematical concept development in blind and sight children. International Journal of Learning, 12(7), 255-260. https://doi.org/10.18848/1447-9494/CGP/v12i07/47920
Bardin, L. (1996). Análisis de contenido [Content analysis] (2nd ed.). Akal.
Brawand, A., & Johnson, N. (2016). Effective methods for delivering mathematics instruction to students with visual impairments. Journal of Blindness Innovation and Research, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.5241/6-86
Contreras-Urra, F., Pailamilla-Rojas, L., & Piñeiro, J. L. (2023). Estrategias docentes para enseñar matemáticas: Trabajo colaborativo entre profesionales del área de matemáticas y educación diferencial [Teaching strategies for teaching mathematics: Collaborative work between professionals in the field of mathematics and special education]. Revista de Estudios y Experiencias en Educación, 23(51), 68-91. https://doi.org/10.21703/rexe.v23i51.2215
Ferrell, K. A. (2006). Evidence-based practices for students with visual disabilities. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 28(1), 42-48. https://doi.org/10.1177/15257401060280010701
Figueiras, L., & Arcavi, A. (2014). A touch of mathematics: Coming to our senses with the blind. ZDM Mathematics Education, 46, 123-133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-013-0555-x
Figueiras, L., & Arcavi, A. (2015). Learning to see: The viewpoint of the blind. In S. J. Cho (Ed.), Selected regular lectures from the 12^th International Congress on Mathematical Education (pp. 175-186). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17187-6_10
García, C., Farías, J., Reyes, D., & Vásquez, A. (2021). Análisis de la participación académica de los y las estudiantes con discapacidad sensorial de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile [Analysis of the academic participation of students with sensory disabilities at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile]. Revista Latinoamericana de Educación Inclusiva, 15(1), 117-137. https://doi.org/10.4067/s0718-73782021000100117
Healy, L., & Fernandes, S. (2011). Multimodality and mathematical meaning-making in the context of blind learners. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 77, 157-174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-010-9290-1
Healy, L., Becerra Ramos, E., Hassan Ahmad, S., Fernades, A., & Lindote, J. (2016). Mathematics in the hands of deaf learners and blind learners: Visual-gestural-somatic means of doing and expressing mathematics. In R. Barwell, P. Clarkson, A. Halai, M. Kazima, J. Moschkovich, N. Planas, M. Setati Phakeng, P. Valero, & M. Villavicencio (Eds.), Mathematics education and language diversity. The 21^st ICMI study (pp. 141-162). Springer.
Inostroza, F. (2020). La puesta en práctica de las políticas de inclusión escolar desde la perspectiva de las educadoras diferenciales [The implementation of school inclusion policies from the perspective of special education teachers] [PhD thesis, Universidad Alberto Hurtado]. https://doctoradoeducacion.cl/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/2020.Tesis_Fabian.pdf
Klingenberg, O. G., Holkesvik, A. H., & Augestad, L. B. (2019). Research evidence for mathematics education for students with visual impairment: A systematic review. Cogent Education, 6, Article 1626322. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1626322
Kuckartz, U. (2019). Qualitative text analysis: A systematic approach. In G. Kaiser, & N. Presmeg (Eds.), Compendium for early career researchers in mathematics education (pp. 181-198). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15636-7_8
Lambert, R. (2018). “Indefensible, illogical, and unsupported”; countering deficit mythologies about the potential of students with learning disabilities in mathematics. Education Sciences, 8(2), Article 72. https://doi.org/10.3390/EDUCSCI8020072
McMillan, J. H., & Schumacher, S. (2005). Investigación educativa: Una introducción conceptual [Educational research: A conceptual introduction] (5th ed.). Pearson.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. SAGE.
Ministerio de Educación. (2015). Decreto Nº83/2015. Aprueba criterios y orientaciones de adecuación curricular para estudiantes con necesidades educativas especiales de educación parvularia y educación básica [Decree no. 83/2015. Approves criteria and guidelines for curricular adaptation for students with special educational needs in early childhood education and basic education]. División de Educación General y Unidad Educación Especial.
NCTM. (2014). Principles to actions: Ensuring mathematical success for all. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Oyebanji, M. S., & Idiong, U. S. (2021). Challenges of teaching mathematics to students with visual impairment. Malikussaleh Journal of Mathematics Learning, 4(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.29103/mjml.v4i1.2538
Padilla, A., Lambert, R., Tan, P., & White-Smith, K. (2024). Conceptualizing political knowledges needed to teach inclusive mathematics: Theorizing through counterstories. ZDM Mathematics Education, 56, 461-472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11858-024-01598-4
Piñeiro, J. L., & Calle, J. P. (2023). Mathematical knowledge for teaching in the initial education of special education teachers. Acta Scientiae, 25(5), 118-143. https://doi.org/10.17648/acta.scientiae.7504
Rodríguez, G., Gil, J., & García, E. (1999). Metodología de la investigación cualitativa [Qualitative research methodology]. Aljibe.
Stake, R. E. (1999). Investigación con estudio de casos [Case study research]. Morata.
Stein, M. K., & Smith, M. S. (1998). Mathematical tasks as a framework for reflection: From research to practice. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 3(4), 268-275. https://doi.org/10.5951/MTMS.3.4.0268
Tan, P., Padilla, A., Mason, E. N., & Sheldon, J. (2019). Humanizing disability in mathematics education. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
Townsend, C., Slavit, D., & McDuffie, A. (2018). Supporting all learners in productive struggle. Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, 23(4), 216-224. https://doi.org/10.5951/mathteacmiddscho.23.4.0216

How to cite this article

APA

Lizárraga-Ojeda, C., & Piñeiro, J. L. (2026). Mathematics teaching practices in a special school for blind students. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 21(1), em0870. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/17914

Vancouver

Lizárraga-Ojeda C, Piñeiro JL. Mathematics teaching practices in a special school for blind students. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2026;21(1):em0870. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/17914

AMA

Lizárraga-Ojeda C, Piñeiro JL. Mathematics teaching practices in a special school for blind students. INT ELECT J MATH ED. 2026;21(1), em0870. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/17914

Chicago

Lizárraga-Ojeda, César, and Juan Luis Piñeiro. "Mathematics teaching practices in a special school for blind students". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education 2026 21 no. 1 (2026): em0870. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/17914

Harvard

Lizárraga-Ojeda, C., and Piñeiro, J. L. (2026). Mathematics teaching practices in a special school for blind students. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 21(1), em0870. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/17914

MLA

Lizárraga-Ojeda, César et al. "Mathematics teaching practices in a special school for blind students". International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, vol. 21, no. 1, 2026, em0870. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/17914