Maths4us

Calling all Maths and Numeracy Teachers and Managers to the Maths Conference of the Year!

In September 2010, we were lucky enough to be awarded funds from LSIS Flexibility and Innovation Fund to carry out one of the largest ever randomised control trials in education, called Adults Don’t Count?. Our participants were Skills for Life Numeracy, Functional Maths and Key Skills Maths teachers across the South East delivering to post-16 learners.

The aim of the project was to find out if we could create positive suggestions with maths learners using ideas from hypnosis and combine these with innovative maths pedagogy in order to improve attainment. We have a very interesting result!

It’s the way you do it AND the way you tell it!

Adults Don’t Count? Conference

17th November 2011
09:15 (registration)- 3.30pm
at the new Amex Community Stadium, Brighton, BN1 9BL

EPrior@cfbt.comor phone 01273 704530

Early booking (before 31.10.11) is £75

The conference will include:

• The project findings
• Innovative workshops to give you the practical tools which worked
• The most up to date maths pedagogy for Numeracy and Functional Maths
• Opportunities to explore new resources
• The chance to network with Maths colleagues
• Lunchand all refreshments

We are expecting places to go very quickly, so please complete the attached registration form and email it to EPrior@cfbt.comor phone 01273 704530 today to avoid any disappointment!

There is an Early Bird discounted rate of £75 if they book before 31.10.11. The price per participant is then £100.

Important – Fees and Cancellation Policy
Fees are non-refundable unless notice of cancellation is received a minimum of 10 working days before the training takes place (2nd Nov in this instance). On receipt of your registration form and the subsequent issue of our company invoice you agree to pay fees in full within the payment terms which are 30 days from the invoice date. In the event that we have to cancel the event you will not be expected to make payment.

Erin Prior
Centre Coordinator
The Development Centre

Tel – 01273 704 530 / 01273 704 517 (direct number)
Fax – 01273 704 528

EPrior@cfbt.com
www.sfldc.org

Sussex Innovation Centre
Science Park Square
Falmer, Brighton
BN1 9SB
www.cfbt.com
CfBT Education Trust is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales. Company No. 867944. Charity No. 270901. Registered Office: 60 Queens Road, Reading, RG1 4BS, United Kingdom.
Other companies in the CfBT Education Trust Group which are active are:
CfBT Advice and Guidance Ltd is a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales. Company No. 330728. Charity Number 270901-1. Registered Office: 60 Queens Road, Reading, RG1 4BS, United Kingdom.
Waverley School (Waverley Way) Ltd is a private company limited by shares. Company No. 318157. Registered Office: 60 Queens Road, Reading, RG14BS, United Kingdom.
Monkton House Kings College (Cardiff) Educational Trust is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales. Company No. 894179; Charity No. 525759. Registered office 60 Queens Road, Reading RG1 4BS, United Kingdom.
CfBT Schools Trust is a private company, limited by guarantee. Registered in England and Wales. Company No. 7468210. Registered office 60 Queens Road, Reading RG1 4BS, United Kingdom.

NIACE (The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, England and Wales). A company limited by guarantee registered no. 2603322 and registered charity no. 1002775, Registered address: 21 , De Montfort Street, Leicester, LE1 7GE, UK www.niace.org.uk

NIACE (Sefydliad Cenedlaethol Addysg Barhaus i Oedolion, Lloegr a Cymru). Cwmni cyfyngedig drwy warant rhif cofrestredig 2603322 ac elusen rhif cofrestredig 1002775, Cyfeiriad cofrestredig: 21 , De Montfort Street, Caerlyr, LE1 7GE, DU www.niacedc.org.uk

NIACE (The National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, England and Wales). A company limited by guarantee registered no. 2603322 and registered charity no. 1002775, Registered address: 21 , De Montfort Street, Leicester, LE1 7GE, UK www.niace.org.uk

NIACE (Sefydliad Cenedlaethol Addysg Barhaus i Oedolion, Lloegr a Cymru). Cwmni cyfyngedig drwy warant rhif cofrestredig 2603322 ac elusen rhif cofrestredig 1002775, Cyfeiriad cofrestredig: 21 , De Montfort Street, Caerlyr, LE1 7GE, DU www.niacedc.org.uk

Improving numeracy remains a key challenge for education providers. In 2010/11 NIACE undertook research into innovative numeracy provision and brought 40 organisations together to discuss and share practice.  The subsequent report, Innovative Practice in Numeracy Learning based on our findings was published in March 2011.  This work was carried out on behalf of the Skills Funding Agency and included some of its top numeracy providers.

We are now seeking to gather more data on innovative delivery models for numeracy practice in order to produce a free downloadable resource to improve the quality of numeracy learning.  We want to hear views from a range of providers who are achieving good results in numeracy about the success factors that underpin their provision.

We will be holding a free seminar in early 2012 to bring together providers to share their experiences of numeracy teaching and learning.  You can register for this seminar and contribute to our call for evidence by completing this quick questionnaire or email: numeracylearning@niace.org.uk

In addition to this project, NIACE has completed a range of work on numeracy, the details of which can be found at http://www.niace.org.uk/current-work/area/numeracy

Contact Information

For further information, please contact:

Linda Dixon, Project Officer
linda.dixon@niace.org.uk
Tel: 0116 2047056
NIACE
21 De Montfort Street
Leicester
LE1 7GE

Maths Messengers – Get motivated about maths
a half day training session Date: 1 Dec 2011
Venue: Leicester:
NIACE, Renaissance House, 20 Princess Road West, Leicester LE1 6TP
Ref: C3034/1211
Fee: £85 Non members

£65 NIACE members

Fee includes sandwich lunch, tea and coffee

NB: NIACE does not charge VAT on conference and course fees

Contact: NIACE Events Team (events@niace.org.uk) Tel: 0116 285 9661
More information: http://www.niace.org.uk/campaigns-events/events/maths-messengers-get-motivated-about-maths

How maths can make a difference:

It was following a Learning at Work Day session at KP Food’s learning centre, in Teesside, that Kath Ward, a training instructor, decided to take a maths qualification.
David Hedgecock, from the City of Sunderland College, had given a session on Skills for Life. Employees were encouraged to take skills assessments so they could go on to take courses in maths and English to suit their ability.
Kath teaches her colleagues all aspects of the production role from showing people how to pack boxes to running complex machinery. She is normally full of confidence, but when it came to maths it was a different story as she had none at all.
Kate has a great deal of determination and when she decides she wants to do something, she strives to do it to the best of her ability. She put a lot of effort into her maths classes, including spending many hours accommodating her studies around her home life. And now, having passed her test, she is keen to go on to the next level. It has also acted as a spur to her completing the first part of a Union Learning Representative course so she can then pass on some of her own experiences to learners.

Janette Taylor is a busy mother of two, an active member in her local church and a part time postwoman at Gloucester Mail Centre.
But with the threat of redundancy looming, Janette realised she needed to take time to improve her skills and enhance her cv if she was going to continue to provide for her family. It was through her CWU union learning centre that she was able to successfully complete a Level 1 and 2 maths qualification. Having the centre on-site meant that she could pop in before her duty started or during breaks.
Janette said: “The course used everyday situations to teach, such as how to scale up ingredient quantities when cooking a recipe for larger numbers of people, or how to work out how much money you save from a discount offered in a shop. Receiving help and guidance from my tutor, John Williams, was a great help.”
She is now thinking of doing an NVQ Level 2 in IT.

Susan Chan was an outgoing person until a period of ill health in 2009 meant that she was unable to work for six months. This dented her confidence and after applying for 30 jobs without luck, she decided she needed to take action.
Susan, who is in her mid-thirties, had had a variety of jobs ranging from retail sales to being a medical receptionist, but she had no formal qualifications. She enrolled on a short course designed to help the unemployed get back into work at Burnley College and in March 2010, Susan successfully achieved the national test in Numeracy Level 1. Almost immediately after gaining the Level 1 qualification, Susan was offered a job with the NHS as a support worker, providing administrative support and organising road shows on alcohol awareness. Susan’s new-found numeracy skills proved to be invaluable in her job in understanding and producing statistics.
Susan said’ “Studying maths made me feel more positive about what I can achieve, but, more importantly, the support from my union USDAW gave me confidence to go to interviews better prepared and less tense.”
Susan is now working towards Numeracy Level 2 and there’s no stopping her: she s already planning her next course.

Press Association:

All pupils in English schools should study maths up to the age of 18, a report commissioned by David Cameron and Education Secretary Michael Gove recommended today.

The review, led by TV personality Carol Vorderman, warned that radical change is needed to give children the mathematical skills they need to get on in a modern workplace where numeracy is ever more important. Continue reading →

Making Britain Numerate is a publication written for work-based (or FE college) learners studying for Functional Skills, or Skills for Life, qualifications.
Continue reading →

ACME has published the final reports of its Mathematical Needs project.  

A report published (14^th June 2011) by the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education, Mathematical Needs, analysed the mathematical content of a range of university courses and found that there was a marked discrepancy between the number of courses requiring mathematical skills beyond GCSE and the number of people with these skills that the UK is producing. For more information read ACME press release 

• Mathematical Needs – Summary [PDF]
• Mathematical Needs: Mathematics in the workplace and in Higher Education [PDF]
• Mathematical Needs: The Mathematical Needs of Learners [PDF]

The slides from the launch are available to download.