Skills for Life Improvement Programme Making ‘Mathematics for Life’ a reality in Derbyshire Ray Sutton Joan Ashley

Skills for Life Improvement Programme What questions would you ask about the birth month display? What follow up activities would you plan? How could this activity be adapted for use with your learners?

Skills for Life Improvement Programme The quiz 90% of adults in the UK with a degree are in work 50% of adults with no qualifications are in work 2% of jobs are available to people with very low literacy and numeracy skills Poor literacy and numeracy skills cost industry in the UK £4.8 billion each year 23% of people have reading and writing skills worse than an 11-year old (6% worse than a 7-year old) 40% of people have numeracy skills worse than an 11-year old 20% of adults in a survey could not calculate their change out of £2 if they bought a loaf of bread at 68p and two cans of soup at 45p each. Only 5% of adults thought they had difficulty with literacy language or numeracy

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Objectives –Updating you on national developments in numeracy for employability and mathematics –Sharing practical activities and resources to support improved learning in mathematics –Reflecting on continuing professional learning

Skills for Life Improvement Programme

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Skills for Life: Progress in Improving Adult Literacy and Numeracy REPORT BY THE COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR GENERAL | HC 482 Session | 6 June 2008

Skills for Life Improvement Programme NAO report June 2008 The Department has made less progress in strengthening numeracy skills. Less people have participated in and achieved qualifications (or relevant learning aims) in numeracy than in literacy. Only 10 numeracy qualifications have been achieved for every 100 people with numeracy skills below the level of a good GCSE (grades A*-C), compared with 18 literacy qualifications for every 100 people with literacy skills below the level of a good GCSE (grades A*-C). The Department (DIUS) intends to publish a numeracy plan in summer 2008.

Skills for Life Improvement Programme

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Mathematics for all Awareness of mathematics Enjoyment and engagement in mathematics Progression and challenge in mathematics Professional learning in mathematics

Skills for Life Improvement Programme

Skills for Life Improvement Programme

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Why are pictures useful in our lessons?

Skills for Life Improvement Programme NAO report June 2008 The Department is engaging more hard-to-reach learners but different parts of government can work together to do more to encourage people on to Skills for Life courses – for example there is potential to create a much better flow of people into learning from Jobcentre Plus benefit streams Family literacy, language and numeracy programmes are engaging hard-to- reach learners in non-traditional adult learning settings such as schools and nurseries. The Department is engaging more employers but needs to do more to persuade them of the benefits of literacy, language and numeracy training for their staff.

Skills for Life Improvement Programme The things we see!

Skills for Life Improvement Programme

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Pressing the right buttons Poster Pictures and stories Piece of A4 paper People maths Putting things in order Pay off for me Play dough

Skills for Life Improvement Programme NAO report June 2008 The Department recognises that it needs to make a step change to achieve its numeracy ambitions – not more of the same but more of what works most effectively in engaging learners and helping them to progress. The Government’s long-term ambition is that by 2020, 95 per cent of the adult population should have functional literacy and numeracy. To meet the new numeracy ambition the Department plans to expand provision (including the number of numeracy teachers), engage more learners and increase achievement at Entry Level. To date, only 10 per cent of people whose numeracy is below functional level (Entry Level 3) have participated in a numeracy course and only two per cent have achieved qualifications that count towards the target.

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Create debate! Girls scores: 34, 53, 21, 48, 97, 65, 76, 93, 56, 85, 71, 24, 31, 47, 55, 63, 50 Boys scores: 45, 67, 86, 43, 55, 58, 12, 89, 67, 78, 43, 59, 67, 34, 54, 41, 81, 55, 58, 61. Teaching and Learning Functional Mathematics

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Choose any three digit number. Multiply by 7 Multiply by 11 Multiply by 13 Compare with your neighbour. What do you notice? Why?

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Think of a number Add 3 Multiply by 2 Add 4 Divide by 2 Subtract the original number Compare answers Try again with a different number Explain why

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Creating comfortable challenge Circles Cards Calculations Cubes Comparing methods Complete planning

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Key issues Are we reaching learners? (eg workforce development, Train to Gain, family learning, community learning – ‘Bringing Maths Home to Moorlands’ (Lincoln), 11-year olds) Are learners on vocational courses being reached and do we have a collaborative approach to embedding and relevant teaching? Have we a personal and sensitive and sensible approach to assessment? (maths=testing?)

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Key issues(2) Is the generational change to a ‘cool to be doing challenging maths’ culture being achieved? (do we say ‘come on and enjoy doing some maths with me’) –’chic not geek’ Is there someone to coach and support teachers and champion mathematics across the organisation?

Skills for Life Improvement Programme

Skills for Life Improvement Programme

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Key issues(3) Are we addressing language, communication and support issues well? Is there a focus for reflection on effective teaching and learning in mathematics? Are teachers able to access activities that will enable them to develop teaching, learning and subject knowledge?

Skills for Life Improvement Programme

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Maths4Life ‘Thinking Through Mathematics’ Booklets: Number, Fractions, Time and Money, Measurement Topic Based Teaching

Skills for Life Improvement Programme

Skills for Life Improvement Programme ‘Beliefs’ activity – digging deeper Work in pairs Choose a card in turn and decide whether you all Agree, all Disagree or are Undecided as a group about the statement (and why) Place the cards in three columns and be prepared to share your thinking on one card from each column with the larger group. (10 minutes) (You may modify the statements slightly if that helps you to come to a decision!)

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Challenging all Learners - from DVD Rom in Maths4Life ‘Thinking Through Mathematics

Skills for Life Improvement Programme ‘Beliefs’ activity(2) For the two principles allocated to your group  Do you all agree with the principle?  What are the advantages of implementing the principle?  What would implementation look like in practice?  What are the difficulties in implementing this principle? All group members need to record a summary of the main points raised. Illustrate positively from your experience wherever possible (10 minutes)

Skills for Life Improvement Programme ‘ Beliefs’ activity(2) – Expert groups (15 min)

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Learning strategies experienced (sample of 779 learners) The least common were the most co-cultural:- “I explain…” “I choose…” “I make up…”

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Ofsted report: executive summary May 2006 The best teaching gave a strong sense of the coherence of mathematical ideas; it focused on understanding mathematical concepts and developed critical thinking and reasoning. Careful questioning identified misconceptions and helped to resolve them, and positive use was made of incorrect answers to develop understanding and to encourage students to contribute. Students were challenged to think for themselves, encouraged to discuss problems and to work collaboratively. Effective use was made of information and communication technology (ICT).

Skills for Life Improvement Programme It depends on the question!

Skills for Life Improvement Programme What contributes to professional learning?

Skills for Life Improvement Programme

Skills for Life Improvement Programme

Skills for Life Improvement Programme The portal Self evaluation – subject knowledge, subject- specific pedagogy Exemplification of LLUK standards Communities – especially ‘Focus on Numeracy’ in the East Midlands Subject Coaching Network communityEast Midlands Subject Coaching Network Mathemapedia, research, resources, blogs, news, events.

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Lesson takes place Planning Review of lesson Identification of Focus Dissemination Other Teachers Review feeds into planning TEACHERS LEARNERS and OBSERVERS TEACHER and OBSERVERS Incremental Change

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Deliberate practice (Geoff Petty) Deliberate practice involves deliberately getting out of your ‘comfort zone’ to do things differently, and better. It means learning about what works and then trying it, it means improving weaknesses. It’s personal research and development. time skill Deliberate practice is hard work, four hours a day is about as much as anyone can manage. I suggest up to one hour a week for teachers.

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Reflection Has anything new caught my attention? Is there anything in my own practice that I want to review? What are my initial thoughts about new things I might try out? What is the next step?

Skills for Life Improvement Programme Be creative with....organising learners and learning..trying out new approaches..variety in the lesson..finding out what learners think..making mathematics attractive, challenging, and relevant..supporting other teachers and assistants..your own learning

Skills for Life Improvement Programme - copyright W.Krawcewicz, University of Alberta

Skills for Life Improvement Programme