The Core Skills Mastery (CSM) Program (March 2, 2012)

The Core Skills Mastery (CSM) Program is web-based instruction and assessment that is free for individuals, schools, and non-profits. The concentration areas are Secondary School, Higher Ed, Workforce, and Business. The Workforce section is appropriate for GED students. This program focuses on combining math and literacy with extensive problem-solving and thinking skills.

To learn more, go to: http://www.csmlearn.com/Entrance/index.php

Facing the Challenge of Numeracy in Adult Education (November 14, 2011)

FACING THE CHALLENGE OF NUMERACY IN ADULT EDUCATION, by Forrest P. Chisman, is the final report on CAAL's two-year project in adult numeracy. This 42-page report addresses one of the most complex, neglected, and important areas of adult education. It explains what "numeracy" is and why we need it. It makes the case for shifting from the current emphasis on traditional math instruction in adult education to instruction in a more comprehensive set of math skills, Among the major areas of focus in the report are articulation problems between ABE preparation for the GED and between the GED and college placement based on COMPASS. Other topics of high concern include the paucity of math instruction for adult ESL students with low levels of prior education, and a possible divergence in goals of concurrent education and adult numeracy education.

To read the report, go to: http://www.caalusa.org/NumeracyChallenge.pdf

Adult Numeracy: A Reader Is Released by CAAL (August 5, 2011)

Adult Numeracy: A Reader is available at the CAAL website. It contains four papers from CAAL's January 2011 invitational Roundtable on Adult Numeracy. Included are:

• Adult Numeracy Demand & Provision
• Policy to Improve Math Teaching & Learning in Adult Basic Education: A Perspective from Massachusetts
• Basic Skills in the United Kingdom: How It Has Evolved Over the Past Decade
• More Than Rules: College Transition Math Teaching for GED Graduates at the City University of New York

Download the report at: http://www.caalusa.org/Adult.pdf

VALRC Introduces a New Online Course: Numeracy in Adult Education (March 17, 2011)

The Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center is proud to announce that we will be piloting our new course, Numeracy in Adult Education in our spring session of online courses.

To read more about this course, go to: http://www.valrc.org/trainings/courses/num.html

To register, go to ERO and register for the "How to Be a Good Online Learner" short course which is a 1 hour prerequisite to all facilitated online courses.

Adult Numeracy Network's Practitoner Research Project Proposals (October 15, 2010)

The Adult Numeracy Network (ANN) will sponsor two practitioner research projects to begin this fall and conclude before their annual meeting next spring. They would like practitioners to familiarize themselves with the ANN Teaching and Learning Principles and the Components of Numeracy and base their research project on some aspect of these two important documents. Selection of projects will be based on how well the practitioner follows the four components for practitioner research and utilizes an idea(s) from the Teaching and Learning Principles and/or the Components of Numeracy. The deadline for submission of proposals is October 31, 2010. Visit www.adultnumeracynetwork.org for information, to view some examples of past practitioner research projects, and to be informed about the application process.

New GED numeracy classroom videos on MLoTS (September 17, 2010)

The Media Library of Teaching Skills (MLoTS) has just added two new GED prep and pre-GED class numeracy videos, Numeracy: Positive and Negative Numbers and Numeracy: Jeopardy Game for Numeracy Reinforcement. They were recorded at a young adult GED prep program in Boston, JFYNetWorks. You will find the link to these videos near the bottom of the front page.

Beyond Worksheets: A Social and Holistic Approach to Numeracy (June 18, 2010)

Developed by our neighbors in Canada, this report uses an approach that sees numeracy as social practice and adopts a holistic way of learning. The purpose of the project was to develop an approach for contextualizing the teaching of numeracy in adult literacy and workforce literacy environments.

To read more about it, go to: http://library.nald.ca/research/item/8318

A National Online Library of Professional Development Resources (May 12, 2010)

Across states, national organizations, and technical assistance investments, an extensive amount of professional development material is availalbe. This library provides local educators with easy access to an array of resources that can be used or customzed to meet their needs.

While the resources are mainly geared to the K-12 population, many of the topics included are applicable to the adult education population. Some of the topics covered are: assistive technology, employment, project-based learning, career education, self-advocacy, conflict resolution, technology, transition to work, universal design, and many more.

To check out what is available, go to: http://www.learningport.us/

Creating Accommodating Math Students with Learning Disabilities (April 27, 2010)

There may be more learning-disabled students in your math class than you realize. If you have learners who read numbers backwards, have trouble telling time, confuse part and whole relationships, have difficulty keeping score in a game, and have difficulty remembering math facts, concepts, rules, formulas, sequences, and procedures, they may be learning disabled. According to the National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center, "it is estimated that 50 percent to 80 percent of students in Adult Basic Education and literacy programs are affected by learning disabilities," (1995, p. 1). The implications of such a staggering statistic for the adult basic education (ABE) teacher are worth further investigation. In this article, we will look at some common profiles of learning disabled learners and strategies you can use in your math class to meet their specific learning needs.

To read the article, go to: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=325

Virtual Manipulatives (March 29, 2010)

Teachers have long used manipulatives in numeracy instruction. With the advent of the Internet, virtual manipulatives have become available, many at no cost to the user. "Learning Mathematics with Virtual Manipulatives" explores the use and benefits of using virtual manipulatives in the classroom. To read this article, go to: http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=151

NIFL launches the Math and Numeracy Listserv (March 2, 2010)

In January, the National Institute for Literacy launched one of their newest listservs, the Math and Numeracy Listserv.

The purpose of this list is to provide an on-going professional development forum where adult educators, advocates, researchers, policy makers, adult education providers, and others can discuss mathematics and numeracy issues in adult basic education and GED programs. This list promotes the sharing of information, research, expertise, and resources on topics such as motivation and math, math skills for GED completion and transitions to post-secondary and workplace settings; common math and numeracy instructional issues; technology in math education; and current on-line numeracy or math classes being piloted in ABE/GED settings.

SABES Math Bulletin Available (February 11, 2010)

Massachusetts SABES (System for Adult Basic Education Support) has made their Math Bulletin available. In this issue, they have changed the focus from not only reporting on research but to also including classroom-related materials.

Some of the topics covered in this issue are the value of good classroom questioning, the development of algebraic reasoning, and a comparison of the GED and ACCUPLACER exams.

To download the bulletin, please go to: http://www.sabes.org/resources/publications/mathbulletin/index.htm.

Once there, you can also browse back issues of the Math Bulletin.

Changing the Way We Teach Math (November 03, 2009)

In Changing the Way We Teach Math, Kate Nonesuch examines her own teaching methods/assumptions around math as well as consulted more than 100 numeracy and ABE math instructors. This publication takes a deeper look at how/why students are resistent to learning math skills and what you can do to work through that resistance. It also provides practical numeracy activities that can be used with your students.

This is a Canadian resource but still has applicability to U.S. adult literacy learners.

New England Learner Persistence Project (March, 23, 2009)

The New England Literacy Resource Center (NELRC) has just published the findings of action research done by 18 New England adult education programs that investigated persistence strategies in their varied contexts over the course of a semester. They implemented persistence strategies in one of four categories: intake and orientation, instruction, counseling and peer support, or re-engagement. Their interventions impacted 755 students resulting in significant improvements in the rates of attendance and course completions.

The New England Learner Persistence Project report can be found at http://www.nelrc.org/expertise/persist.html.

Family Math Fun! (October 10, 2008)

Announcing a new resource: a manual of family numeracy activities, ready to use in early literacy programs, day care centers, primary grades, and Adult Basic Education/Literacy programs. Patterns, recipes, and hand-outs all included (109 pages). Download your free copy at: http://www.nald.ca/library/learning/familymath/cover.htm

Math for the whole person: Spirit, heart, body and mind are all connected in the activities in this book. When we balance the spirit, heart, body and mind, math becomes part of our whole lives, not a beast or a barrier.

Activities for the whole family: Things to do in the kitchen and on a walk, rhymes, games, and things to make, all to promote math thinking and learning.

For more information: Kate.Nonesuch@viu.ca. Funded by The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, Human Resources and Skills Development, Canada.