Hello all,
I was wondering what impact would research in adult numeracy have on you and your instruction? I know that many of us are teaching math to adult learners perhaps for the first time and we want to see them obtain their high school equivalency. But, is your focus the test or on creating mathematical thinkers? Does it have to be an either-or situation? What are some practices that you use?
Just curious, let's discuss,
Brooke
Comments
I know many teachers teach so that the students pass the test. Students passing the GED test is the primary reason I see students in my math class. I think teaching solely to the test does students a disservice. They leave class no better off than when they started the class. I teach my class so that the students learn AND understand the math they are doing. In conjunction, I teach test taking skills and spend a large amount of time on the topics that will be covered on the test. My goal is that when students leave my class, they have a better understanding of the numeracy skills they need to function in life.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I agree, students want their GED as soon as possible and they do not realize that being able to pass a "test" does not necessarily mean that they have learned the skills necessary to function in the world. I had a student last semester that had completed his GED but needed to take a Technical Mathematics course that I taught. He couldn't read a tape measure. I tried to explain that understanding mathematics and "doing" mathematics were not the same thing. We spent a great deal of time discussing fractions for understanding to help him since he was studying to be a machinist.