Teaching Numeracy to Adults

Teaching Numeracy to Adults

“This cohort really taught me the importance of going beyond just teaching a skill.”
~Genna Hart, Lead Teacher – Diploma Connect at Project for Pride in Living

“…this course teaches more than just math; this course teaches numeracy. How we use numeracy in our lives and how it impacts all of us…this course teaches strategies and concepts that make math way less scary.”
~Heather Anderson, GED/Diploma Supervisor at Mankato ABE

You don’t want to miss this learning opportunity!

The upcoming Teaching Numeracy to Adults initiative focuses on the actual teaching of math/numeracy, not just standards implementation. This cohort takes place over 8 weeks and involves an online course via Canvas, live webinars and partner work for a robust professional learning experience for participants. Participants will also have the option of receiving two graduate credits through Hamline University for completing this cohort. Check out this previous newsletter article for more information about Hamline coursework.

>> The next cohort starts January 17, 2024. Applications are due by January 5.

Is this for me? Do I know someone who would be interested?

Teaching Numeracy to Adults is designed for a wide array of adult educators.  Whether your primary role is instruction or administration, whether you teach a lot of math already or are just thinking about how to get started with numeracy, this initiative will be an enriching one. We delve into the following questions:

The Commitment

Attend 4 synchronous webinars in addition to completing weekly asynchronous work (sometimes individually and other times with an assigned partner).

  • Kickoff Webinar – January 17, 2024, 1:00-2:15pm
  • Asynchronous work between January 18 – March 15, 2024
  • Additional synchronous webinars:
    • February 7, 2024, 3:00-4:15pm
    • February 14, 2024, 1:00-2:15pm
    • March 6, 2024, 1:00-2:15pm

The time expected to dedicate to the cohort is approximately 2 hours per week for 8 weeks.

“The weekly commitment was very do-able, & I learned so much! And don’t worry about being a “math” person! We all have math trauma & this course was super handy in addressing it.”
~Susan Seyfarth, Lead Teacher at Metro East Career Pathways

“The work doesn’t feel like work. You get really engaging conversations with colleagues and the chance to talk about math, and engaging with math as a student is really valuable.”
~Justine Hill, Special Teacher-Math at DOC Faribault

It’s very useful and I learned a lot about different ways to incorporate numeracy. Maybe not everything in the course will be utilized by a single teacher, but there is something for all teachers.”
Cindy Schultz, Math Educator at Central MN ABE

The Outcomes

Upon completion of this cohort, you will:

A. be a more skillful and reflective practitioner of math/numeracy
B. recognize the roles math anxiety, math trauma and negative math identities play in learning math
C. articulate how shifts-based instruction is effective for math learning
D. be more practiced at preparing meaningful sense-making and low floor/high ceiling activities, integrating them into lessons, and assessing their value

“The most helpful thing about this course is it began to answer the age-old student question of ‘when will we ever do this in real life?’.”
~Hailey Swanson, Grants, Records and Administrative Supports Specialist at MDE

“I can’t wait to apply what I’ve learned.”
Tracy Sunvold, ABE/ESL Teacher at Alexandria Area ABE

Apply today!

Applications are due by January 5.

Please reach out to Lindsey Pust, ATLAS Numeracy & Special Projects Coordinator, at [email protected] with any questions.

Did you know?!

MN Adult Education has an official statement regarding math instruction:

Both literacy and numeracy are critical skills for adults in order to fully engage in their communities. English Language Arts and Math skills for adult basic education (ABE) are defined by the CCRS (College & Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education, 2013).

To further define the work of adult numeracy instruction for ABE and with the goal of achieving equitable math instruction for adult learners, the Minnesota Numeracy Instruction Advisory Team (MNI A-Team) holds that:

  • Every student at every level (literacy, language, math) deserves access to rigorous, high-quality math instruction.
  • Instruction at all literacy, language, and math proficiency levels can and should attend to math and numeracy
  • Intentional, focused programming can create a cohesive math experience for all learners.
  • Instruction in every classroom should be informed by growth mindset and incorporate strategies to reduce and prevent math anxiety in learners.
  • To this end, it is essential that programs are committed to professional growth in the areas of up-to-date best practices, content knowledge, and comfort teaching math.

 

Originally published 12/11/23

Lindsey Pust, Numeracy & Special Projects Coordinator ATLAS