Hello all,
My name is Katie Edwards and I have just joined the Career Pathways group! I've been using the resources of LINCS for a while, but just decided to take my involvement to the next level. I work at a community college in Maryland with adult ESL students. My role is a program coordinator for our grant-funded program. I know that many of our adjuncts have trouble figuring out how to integrate numeracy in their lessons, plus we do offer a course in GED Math for ESL students, so I want to deepen my knowledge to best support our staff and, of course, students!
Thanks and please let me know if you have any great suggestions for encouraging English minded people to not be so afraid of math!
-Katie
Comments
Hi Katie - I teach core academic subjects (Math, Literacy, ELL and GED prep) and a career pathways class in a one room school house setting in Minnesota.
Glad you are taking your involvement to the next level, I really love your question. Its one Minnesota has been thinking about and working on too. I can’t wait to read the responses here.
One thing that seems to be helpful is getting folks access to quality training on math content and math instruction strategies, especially strategies that seem playful, and less procedure based.
In the past ,for multiple years in a row, Minnesota invested in offering a high quality cohorted, year long, training for ABE teachers on numeracy instruction (MN Numeracy Initiative) and for many of us, this was what we need to make the shift you describe. I don’t know if you are in a position to impact this statewide, but I wonder if a site PLC focus could have similar purpose.
There are some great in person trainings if you have the funds, and if not (or as a compliment) there are lots of great free resources on line.
In terms of integrating Math into your classes there is the question of whether they will start with a small segment of dedicated numeracy time in each class, integrate numeracy into the topics they are already teaching, or both.
As a way to dip their toe in, there might be something standalone that all your teachers could implement, say for 5-10 minutes a day (or every other day…) and then maybe discuss with each other.
This year, my students (a multi level group) really liked SPLAT (https://www.stevewyborney.com/?p=893) – the creator already has the materials sequenced and posted, I made some very minor tweaks and used a few slides each day we used them.
Similarly, your team might like to implement a Which One Doesn’t Belong? (or some people prefer the title - Which is Different?) https://wodb.ca/ each week. They could do random ones or choose ones focused on particular math standards, or ones related to vocabulary or content they are already teaching.
I'll be interested to hear what others suggest (and what you find about) how to best message this for teachers in terms of connecting to what motivates them. I know at least one program near me shifted as the supervisor just made it clear that math instruction was now a program priority. For me, the idea that math instruction is an essential part of educational equity has been important motivator. I am sure there are other frames that might draw people in.
You asked for suggestions, I hope something here is helpful:
Free –
There are tons of great blogs and twitter accounts to follow. One example for learning more about the content: I love these 8 minute videos on the instructional progressions in different topics: https://gfletchy.com/progression-videos/
I think these could be watched alone or as part of a PLC. As part of a PLC, you might pair them with a shared math task. If you picked one, I bet people on here would have great ideas for the task.
Low Cost –
You could join in a book study or just do one together. I found ‘Building Powerful Numeracy” useful but I was already bought into the idea of integrating math when I read it. I hear great things about ‘Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You’d Had’ .
Some cost –
The COABE conference is in Maryland next year – Adult Numeracy Network will have a preconference (day long session) I’d recommend it. Maybe you could attend together and then discuss integrating some of the strategies?
Thanks for raising this question!
Abby
Abby,
Wow, thank you for such a thorough reply! I will spend some time diving into the resources you so kindly provided.
I am planning on attending COABE (especially since I'm in Baltimore) and we're hoping we can get some instructors on board as well. I like the idea of creating a PLC to augment our teachers' knowledge. I think sometimes there's a big intimidation factor and an uncertainty about where to begin. Part of it too is that some teachers are more reliant on textbooks for guidance and many ESL books don't focus as much on numeracy as they ought to!
Thanks again!
Wow, you've already gotten some great ideas :)
In a more general direction, one concept that I see as making a huge difference for learners is proportions and ratios; another is that things that look small accumulate.
There are so many situations where you can construct "what if" questions and ***use visuals and concrete materials whenever you can*** so students can experience the reality of what numbers and amounts mean.
I've delegated a summer project to myself: make a meaning-filled module for students who are hurting in number sense and "don't even know their basic facts." Now to get to it in this week before my bicycling vacation...
I like your concrete suggestions of specific things to make sure to integrate into the classroom. As I mentioned above, sometimes it's hard to know where to start.
Your summer project sounds great! I'm curious about the context you'll be integrating that into. If you're willing to share more, I'd be interested in hearing about it (unless you're already on your bicycling vacation - that sounds awesome!).
Back from bicycling around Illinois with, happily, tailwinds most days!
I hear often from teachers, "They don't even know their facts!"
Yes, they can often use calculators and in our Pre-Algebra course they can use a times tables chart. However, I suspect learning and understanding "the times tables" is about when students either dive in and learn to wrap their brains around larger numbers... or they don't. The very basics of understanding numbers is natural but after that ... it's about learning, connecting and practicing. (I think it's like the difference between oral language and reading and writing -- organizing and connecting the abstract ideas is something that we can be engaged in practicing regularly, and keep growing -- regardless of whatever "innate ability" or background we bring to the task when we start -- but that too often we attribute too much importance to our starting point.)
While I was out riding, "Multiplication is for White People" arrived at my door... I'm goign to be reading that :)
My plan is to follow, roughly, the set up in Steve Chinn's (expert on dyslexia and maths) "What to do when you can't learn the times tables" which I adapted for U.S. from British in "Tools for the Times Tables." So, we'll start with the 0's and 1's and then 10's times tables -- which can be figured out without memorizing quickly-- and then the twos, where I'll start with a "this is how to memorize this stuff." I've got some preliminary videos on YouTube now... maybe today will be when I create a playlist which I *hope* I can arrange in order... https://www.youtube.com/user/motthebug/videos?shelf_id=0&view=0&sort=dd is my youtube channel.
I'd love to design some visual-motor games sort of like oh, Bejeweled Blitz where a table is displayed and you drag to highlight that as an array... with or without numbers on the array...
but FIRST ... next week Tues and Wed I'll have Steve Phelps as guest for a 2-day workshop with www.geogebra.org which also has great potential for making math visual and meaningful...