ࡱ> LNK7 "bjbjUU yG7|7|%l 8  ,p6 L "n n n $Z zH " ;n n g*;;; n n ; ;p;:g,n * Pۊ {0 @0pR;'Keeping AbreastWith Current Research and Developments in Maths Learning and Teaching' David Billings Intro: Teachers at the four St. Catherine's Education, Training and Resource Centres, in County Mayo are continuallyon the lookoutfor new insights on learner development and behaviour and alsoforinnovativestrategies in order to enhance their ability to facilitate progression and learning, especiallyamongst students with little formal literacy and math abilities. Based upon the prospectus for the June 2007, ALM (Adults Learning Mathematics) seminar to be heldatthe University of Limerick, it was decided useful to send Maths teacher David Billings toattend one of the days of theconference that was deemed to be applicable to circumstances that we would experience and toreport back to all the maths teachers at St. Catherine's centres with his findings. This is his report on the day's ALM seminar: St. Catherines Education, Training and Resource Centres In-service Report University of Limerick June 27, 2007-06-28 ALM (Adults Learning Mathematics) - Research Forum Session 1: Mutimedia Learning Tools Kees Hoogland (The Netherlands) Speaker set forth a description of numeracy based upon his own research; Numerical competency is the intertwined knowledge, skills, disposition (attitudes) necessary to adequately and autonomously cope with the quantative aspects of the world around us. His presentation included images from a visit to shops and markets illustrating math structure found in the presentation and packaging of goods ie. 4x3, 5x2 etc.,etc. He revealed that in some countries one buys eggs in cartons of 10s rather than 12s! If maths can be related to actual 3d objects then learners progress more quickly. He asserted that progressive development of learners should be by increasing the complexity of the contexts in which maths problems have to be solved rather than in the complexity of the mathematical concepts. Some research suggest/admit that: There are categories of learners that stay at estimating and counting. Session 2: Mathematics in Prison Education Gerard McElligott/Catherine Byrne/Brendan OHara Speakers all from Wheatfield prison and working under Dublin VEC. In many ways their learner profile could be compared to that of St. Catherines students, ie. early school leavers at 12, 13 and 14 years of age, hence very low levels of literacy and numeracy. One difference that they explained was that there is an Open Learning type structure in place where prisoners in this gaol can elect to attend instruction in a wide range of courses or not. They asserted that level 3 Maths was achievable in just 8 weeks by most of their students with one student completing in just two weeks! This is amongst students who have voluntarily chosen to take the maths course. Progression is to the Leaving cert course rather than FETAC level 4 They acknowledged that students have off days and in this circumstance it was better to go with the student by allowing them to do what they wanted in maths when they requested; just give me some adding up to do etc. They have promised to send me a resource pack that they have developed related to FETAC level 3 and which we can draw from. I will send a copy to all Maths teachers when I get it. Plenary Skills For a Knowledge Economy Eoin ODriscoll (leading member of gov. task forces/chairman of several companies) The speaker illustrated the position of Irelands economy and compared this to our status with respects to education and training. He showed tables revealing that 13% failed O level and 11% F level maths in the Junior cert. exam. The fear of failure and not getting it right was given as a common thread among low achieving students. Eoin proved the need for attention to be given to training and education upskilling, as market and job trends change. Session 3: Good Practice in Adult Numeracy Lene Oestergaard Johansen (Denmark) Theoretical base approach to ways in which we learn and the best ways of delivering tuition. Criteria given for students engaging with numeracy; A caring and compassionate atmosphere Include group work Use activities from everyday life Do problem solving tasks Encourage reflection Involve mental maths Facilitate independent learning The speakers research found; It is regrettable that the adult developmental learner is maths anxious. (Safford 1994) Cumming (2000) asserts that assessments should take cognizance of cultural difference and integrate these into assessment programmes. Lene said that diagnostic assessment should reveal mathematical experience not just what a learner can, cannot do. Session 4: Adults Assessment of Own Skills in Mathematics Gender Dependant? Kjersti Lundetre This proved to be a discussion of findings from this MA researchers final dissertation. She found that maths has been traditionally a male preferred subject. Schools in Norway have time-tabled more hours for boys. Since 1997 Norway has introduced both a more gender and culturally appropriate curriculum and learning examples in textbooks. (ie. boys had featured more than girls in textbook illustrations, apparently indicating the world population to be twice as many boys as girls!) Her research explored mathematical self concepts I am doing well/poorly at this Females tended to assess their own maths ability as ok or poor Evans (2000) findings support this and that; Women have numerical anxiety to a greater degree than men Kjerstis thought that the fact that use of the term anxiety in research questionnaires may lead men involved in a research population to consider this term as being un-male and therefore respond accordingly leading to questions regarding the complete validity of all results. However research is quite definitive on the question of female insecurities with respects to their own maths abilities. In order to break this cycle mothers and parents in general need to give positive signals to children regarding maths regardless of how they feel about their own abilities or experiences at school. Addendum: The Matthew affect was referred to by one speaker and this is of interest to us at St. Catherines as this indicates that the vital buildings blocks for learning are needed to be developed through home tuition and before school starts for children.  Matthews gospel: "For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath" Matt. 25:9 New entry vocabulary term: Ethno-Mathematics Ethno-mathematics is the branch of math that explores the relationship between mathematics and culture. This may include the way societies and cultures use mathematical symbols, procedures, methods of calculation and computation as well as the way mathematics is defined. ie. Some groups of people in the Amazon basin, for example, have only three counting words, 'one', 'two', and 'many'. China uses the abacus, and many do multiplication in this way; 12 12 x 120 24 144 Papers presented often used the term critical citizen to indicate - useful or meaningful. Perhaps this is a term used by practioners in Scandanavian countries. Seminar: The Changing Face of Adults Mathematics Education: Learning from the Past,Planning for the Future. 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