The Role of Exercises in The Process of Forming Geometric Concepts Among Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

The article examines the role of exercises in the process of forming geometric concepts among students with intellectual disabilities. Geometry is not only a branch of mathematics related to shapes, size, position and spatial relations, but also an important means of developing perception, attention, comparison, classification, visual memory, spatial orientation and practical thinking. For students with intellectual disabilities, the acquisition of geometric concepts is often complicated by difficulties in abstraction, generalization, verbal reasoning, spatial imagination and voluntary attention. Therefore, exercises become a central pedagogical tool that connects concrete experience with conceptual understanding. The article analyzes the scientific and theoretical foundations of using exercises in special mathematics education, relying on cognitive, developmental, activity-based and correctional pedagogical approaches. The study emphasizes that exercises should not be limited to mechanical repetition; they should be systematic, purposeful, visual, practical, differentiated and connected with real-life situations. The article shows that geometric exercises help students recognize shapes, compare objects, identify essential features, distinguish similar figures, use geometric vocabulary and apply knowledge in everyday activities. The results of the theoretical analysis indicate that the effectiveness of exercises depends on gradual complication, multisensory support, teacher guidance, repeated practice, corrective feedback and the emotional involvement of students. The article concludes that exercises play a formative, corrective, developmental and motivational role in teaching geometry to students with intellectual disabilities.