Communicating everyday mathematical concepts to students

From NALA and TCD numeracy conference - 18 June 2015 in TCD

Tutor tips

Make everyday links – use Plain Maths! (Mary Bambrick)

  • Break down your own understanding of the numeracy you are teaching
  • Use your broader set of skills to impart what you know
  • Use everyday objects –use the contents of your pocket to teach algebra – you can only add like terms (e.g. two pens) not unlike terms (a key & a phone) - see NALA case studies below

Go to NALA case studies for ideas and support (Tina Byrne)

  • Check out the NALA numeracy case studies BEFORE you google - you might just find what you are looking for.
  • Use the case studies to find out about shared ideas and initiatives.
  • Free to download/ order from NALA What Really Counts and What Really Counts Next

Open your maths eyes! Encourage learners to open theirs. (Aoife Smith)

  • Open your maths eyes- haveyougotmathseyes.com - bring outside maths into your sessions
  • Have learners open their maths eyes. They will start to look at familiar things in their lives and think about the maths in them.
  • Devise a learner questionnaire to find out their areas of interest and base the numeracy on those areas
  • Raise critical awareness of numeracy information
  • price comparison when shopping,
  • fares on the bus
  • Use everyday objects for a wide variety of numeracy skills – receipts or recipes for rounding, estimating, calculator practice.
  • Set tasks to be done outside of the class
  • Rounding up items when shopping to estimate the total cost
  • Practise calculator skills on the receipt

Reluctant learners – everyone has a maths story(Catherine Byrne)

  • No-one has no maths - work from the tip of the iceberg and uncover the learners’ knowledge together
  • Listen to and acknowledge the learner’s maths story (maybe tell yours too)
  • Log and park the learner’s mathsstory and start a new chapter together
  • Demonstrate care for your learner and passion for your subject

Numeracy as social practice (Nuala Broderick)

  • Find out what the learner does in maths in everyday life e.g. online gambling and hook that to new learning
  • Use a clock face chart and/or images to prompt learners to let you know what they have done in the past 24 hours. Unpick the maths in their activities and fit them to the curriculum
  • Use numbers from the world at large to develop critical thinking
  • Connect with the learner’s mindset to shift the mindset of maths anxiety

Problem solving (Mark Prendergast)

Mathematical knowledge and skills have little value if they cannot be applied to new or unfamiliar situations (Ubuz, 1994:367)

  • Have a look at some Problem Solving Strategies on the new look projectmaths.ie website
  • Try Polya’s Four Stages of problem solving :
  • understand the problem
  • devise a plan
  • carry out the plan
  • look back/ review

Technology in the numeracy classroom (Suzanne Smith)

  • IXL Online practice and lessons in Maths (links to the school curriculum)
  • mathseverywhere.org.ukan interactive learning tool to help deal with the numbers and calculations in everyday life
  • Check out the websites, apps and resources inWhat Really Counts Next