ALM
is an international research forum bringing together researchers andpractitioners in adult mathematics/numeracy teaching and learning in order to promote the learning of mathematics by adults
ALM Officers 1996/7
Chair: Dr Diana Coben,
Department of Educational Studies, Goldsmiths College
University of London, Lewisham Way, New Cross,
London, SE14 6NW, UK.
Fax: +44 (0)171 919 7313
e.mail: d.coben@gold.ac.uk
Secretary: Ann Elsy
Treasurer: Sue Elliott
Membership Sec: Kathy Safford
to the third issue of the ALM Newsletter - an essential read for ALM members and a way of making contact and keeping in touch with developments.
ALM MEMBERS WORLDWIDE
ALM now has members in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovenia, SouthAfrica, Spain, Sweden, UK, USA, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
TO JOIN ALM
Please print out and complete the form at the end of the Newsletter and send it to Diana Coben at the address above - unless you live in Australia,New Zealand, Denmark or the USA, where the following ALM members have kindlyvolunteered to act as agents for ALM:
Australia: Dr Janet Taylor,
OPACS, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia.
email: taylor@usq.edu.au
New Zealand: Barbara Miller-Reilly,
Student Learning Centre, The University of Auckland, Private Bag
92019,Auckland, N.I., New Zealand
email: Barbara@math.Auckland.ac.nz
USA: Kathy Safford,
1317 Curtis Avenue, Point Pleasant, NJ 08742, USA.
email: SAFFORD@spcvxa.spc.edu
Denmark:Tine Wedege,
Directorate General for Employment, Placement and Vocational
Training, Blegdamsvej56, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark.
email: TIW@mmf.ruc.dk
If you are interested in becoming a local ALM agent please contact Diana Coben
BOOK NOW!!!
July 4-6 1997
at the University of Limerick, Ireland
Come and share ideas, information and research findings about adultslearning mathematics at the Fourth ALM Conference and AGM to be held atthe University of Limerick, Ireland, 1997.
All are welcome to the conference, reductions for ALM individual members.
Contact:
Jackie O'Shaugnesssy
Department of Mathematics & Statistics
University of Limerick
Ireland
Tel: 00 353 61 202207
Fax: 00 353 61 334927
email: jackie.oshaughnessy@ul.ie
KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT ALM-4
The keynote address will be delivered by Dr Con Power B Comm (Hons),M Econ Sc, PhD, DBA. Dr Power has a distinguished record of service andachievement in the public and private sectors. He has contributed to policymaking at national level in Ireland in a number of areas including economicdevelopment, business and commerce, science policy and education. For sometime now he has been highlighting the strategic importance of mathematicsfor economic development. He is particularly well placed to discuss themathematical needs of adults in work.
INVITATION TO LEAD A SESSION/CALL FOR PAPERS: ALM-4
If you would like...
a) to lead a session describing your research project (which maybe atany stage from initial idea to completion),
Or
b) To lead a discussion about a burning issue in relation to adults learningmathematics,
Or
c) to submit an idea for a poster session,
...please give details (200 word summary) to arrive by Friday 14 March1997 to John O'Donoghue (ALM-4) at the address below. Sessions will lastfor one hour.
WHAT IS MEANT BY POSTER PRESENTATIONS?
Poster presentations are an excellent way to report research, communicateideas orto create a discussion. Unlike written papers you can be interactive with your audience immediately. Of course, a poster doesn't have to be terriblyformal - if it's eye catching people read it. Neither does it have to be static and two dimensional.
A poster could be on a board, table or even on a computer or
video!
It is also helpful to have a brief overview of your presentation
and contact details on two to four sides of A4 for people to take
home with them.
Proceedings of the third international conference of Adults Learning Maths-A Research Forum (ALM-3), held July 5-7 1996 at the University of Brighton, UK. One copy will be sent FREE to ALM-3 participants and current ALM members. Additional copies cost 5 pounds sterling each, including posting and packing, from Diana Coben. Please make cheques out to Goldsmiths College.
AVAILABLE FROM AVANTI BOOKS: ALM-1 AND ALM-2 PROCEEDINGS
ALM-1 1994 Conference Proceedings from the foundation conference,ALM1- held at Fircroft College, in Birmingham, UK in July 1994, ISBN:0 901542 78 4.
Mathematics with a Human Face (ALM-2) Conference Proceedings ofthe second international conference, ALM-2 held at the University of Exeter, Exeter, UK, in 1995. ISBN:0 9015 42 98 9
Contact: Avanti Books, 8 Parsons Green, Boulton Road, Stevenage SG1 4QG,UK or Diana Coben as before.
Call for Papers
SITUATED COGNITION IN MATHEMATICS
Day Conference: Friday, April 11, 1997 9.30-5.00
The conference follows up themes discussed at the seminar with Jean Lave (May 1996) and will be structured to enable significant discussion in the following areas.
Programme:
Brief introductory overview
Discussion on the nature(s) of mathematics
Working groups on:
Adults and workplace maths
Maths in home/school/preschool
Classroom cultures
Computer environments
Poster session
Plenary: the way forward.
Participants are asked to choose a working group for the day, and anyparticipant may submit a paper to their chosen group. Papers will be distributed to those who have signed up for a group for reading in advance of the conference. There will be no presentations actually on the day. We ask all participantsto read the papers first so that work for the group can be planned on the assumption that the contents of the papers are known. This is critical to the success of the day.
Familiarity with Jean Lave's work, or related ideas, will be helpful. If you wish to have copies of the wide-ranging discussion notes and transcripts from the seminar, please contact Ann Watson below.
After the conference we hope to publish a set of papers resulting fromthe day.
These might be enhanced versions of the above papers, or papers writtenin response to the conference. Some review procedure is envisaged.
Conference fee for the day £25
Copies of notes on the discussion of Jean Lave seminar (October 1996)can be obtained from Anne Watson. An article based on her lecture is in Mind Culture and Society, 3, (3), 1996, 149-164.
Contact: Anne Watson
Department of Educational Studies
Oxford Mathematics Education Research Centre
University of Oxford
Department of Educational Studies
15/28 Norham Gardens
Oxford, OX2 6PY, UK.
Tel: +44 (0) 1865 274052
Fax: +44 (0) 1865 274027
email: anne.watson@edstud.ox.ac.uk
Criteria for submission of papers: Each paper should be a maximum of four pages, A4. This is to limit the amount of reading required. We do notspecify typeface, size or spacing, but expect that papers will be readable. If not, we shall send them back!
NB Please send four copies before March 1, 1997 to:-
Barbara Jaworski,
University of Oxford Department of Educational Studies,
15 Norham Gardens,
Oxford OX2 6PY, UK.
Adult Learning: A Key for the Twenty-First Century
14-18 July, 1997
Hamburg, Germany.
Contact: UNESCO,
Institute for Education,
Feldbrunnenstrasse 58,
20148 Hamburg, Germany.
Tel: +49 40 44 80 41-0
Fax: +49 40 410 77 23
email: uie@unesco.org
OR:
UNESCO, ED/BAS/LIT
7, Place de Fontenoy,
75352, Paris 07-SP, France.
Tel: +33 1 45 68 11 39
Fax: +33 1 40 65 94 05
e-mail: e.taylor@unesco.org
T3 Europe is a new European professional project to provide a programme of in-service courses for teachers of mathematics and science. The courses are designed to:
increase teacher confidence in using hand-held technology,
raise teacher awareness of its potential,
identify examples of good practice in use,
provide a framework to raise standards of teaching,
enable teachers to enhance student understanding.
Contact: Jenny Sharp
Centre for Teaching Mathematics
University of Plymouth
Drake Circus
Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK.
Tel: +44 (0) 1752 232772
ESREA European Research network on Adult Basic Education, Literacyand Numeracy
ESREA is the European Society for Research in the Education of Adults and organises its activities on the basis of European Research networks which organise annual seminars. The network convenor for the network on Adult Basic Education, Literacy and Numeracy is:- Dr Pierre Freynet,
CUFCO,
5 Boulevard Lavoisier,
F-49045 ANGERS,
Cedex, France.
Tel: +33 41 35 21 90
Fax: +33 41 35 21 80
Esther D. Leonelli of ANPN, the Adult Numeracy Practitioners Networkin the USA, has created a link with ALM on the ANPN website at: http://worlds.std.com/~edl/
A NEW AGE FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION -
THE GNVQ ROUTE TO HIGHER EDUCATION
Proceedings from this one day national conference held at the Universityof Central Lancashire earlier this year are now available to purchase.
The conference explored the importance and place of mathematics in engineering courses and the introduction and impact of GNVQs on further and higher education courses. It provided a forum to discuss the engineering industry needs, the expectations of lecturers and demands of students.
Contact: Janet Hall
Tel: +44 (0)1772892256
Fax: +44 (0)1772 892938
e.mail: j.m.hall@uclan.ac.uk
An Electronic Libraries project, is collecting, indexing and displaying current papers in the fields of education and training. Providing scope for practitioners to post early versions of what will become print publications, publish valuable material otherwise destined for a small audience, give early notice of interesting or topical research findings, derive an audience, and critical feedback for work in progress, lodge copies of seminar or conference papers that might otherwise be lost, in a nationally maintained and secure database, read and comment on material being produced elsewhere, retrieve papers using sophisticated search capabilities based on the British Education Index Thesaurus.
The Service was launched at the North of England Education Conference, Sheffield, January 1997. Papers are now being collected actively. A demonstration of the search facility, with guidelines for submission and background information can be seen at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol
EWM-ALL LIST
New electronic LIST connecting Women Academic Mathematicians in Europe
A new list has been started on Mailbase, called 'ewm-all'. Its description reads:
The list connects European women academic mathematicians, allowing advertisement of jobs, fellowships, conferences, discussion of mathematical research &issues specifically relevant to women in a heavily male-dominated subject. It is associated with the organisation European Women in Mathematics.
To join the ewm-all list, mail to:
mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk
a message containing only the following text (substituting appropriately):
join ewm-all firstname(s)lastname
For further information relating to this new list, contact its ownerat:
ewm-all-request@mailbase.ac.uk
Elaine Blair,
Mailbase User Group Support Officer,
Newcastle University,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 7RU, UK.
Tel: +44 (0) 191 222 8080
URL: http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/
PUTTING ADULTS INTO THE EQUATION - ON THE EDUCATION-LINE DATABASE
ALM Chair Diana Coben's paper, 'Putting Adults into the Equation: an Agenda for Adult Learning in Mathematics for the New Millennium', is posted on the world wide web on the Education-line database:
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol.
The quickest way to find it is to type "Coben" into the Author box of the Query page.
AN AGENDA FOR ADULT LEARNING IN MATHEMATICS FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM
ALM Chair Diana Coben presented 'An Agenda for Adult Learning in Mathematics for the Next Millennium' at 'Mathematics for the new Millennium - What needs to be changed and why?', 9-11 October 1996, Institute of Education, University of London, UK
It incorporates soundings from ALM members, other adult mathematics educatorsand researchers at ALM-3 and ICME-8
Please send any comments or further agenda items to DianaCoben.
1. MORE RECOGNITION - adults should be on the agenda in all discussions of mathematics education unless there is good reason to the contrary. A voice for adult mathematics educators in policy decisions about education and training. Adult mathematics educators need to engage with the politics of education and training and develop tactics to enable them to intervene in policy decisions (David Kaye, UK). We should develop our knowledge of adult education structures and funding priorities in various countries and then strategize on how to affect these structures and priorities (Tom Ciancone, Canada). Poor economic performance may have a range of causes; it is not solely due to lack of education of the workforce.
2. MORE RESEARCH - vital to increase our understanding and enhance the status of adult mathematics education. Developing and using appropriate adult-focused research methods is essential to develop the field. Co-operative research, between researchers and practitioners to identify agendas and, where appropriate, to undertake research. More research is needed on all aspects of adult mathematics learning and teaching, developing new areas and building on previous work in: adult mathematics education; mathematics education of children; related disciplines: e.g. psychology, sociology, etc., and in mathematics per se.
3. MORE PROVISION of adult mathematics education taking forms appropriate to adults with different needs, interests, circumstances, work, social and domestic commitments. Including: courses of varying duration; part-time and full-time; at a distance and or face-to-face; education in the workplace and in institutions; with provision for disabilities, childcare, learners' own languages or language support; affordable courses. Adult mathematics education should be adequately funded.
4. ADULT-FOCUSSED - CURRICULA should take many forms - relating to the goals and values of the learners, take account of their experience and diverse purposes in learning mathematics, including: work-related mathematics; education for critical citizenship and social movements; providing a negotiated curriculum.
Mathematics support for other subjects should start with, rather than end with the subject concerned.
5. INNOVATIVE APPROACHES to teaching and learning.
6. ANDRAGOGY NOT PEDAGOGY: teaching adults is different from teaching children. How to help adults to recognise the mathematics that they can do - and build on it? Tuition should proceed at a pace which suits the learners. Adults' mathematical experience should be the focus of their mathematics education. Adult learners and adult mathematics educators should have access to and be using the new media. (Gill Hind, BBC Education).
7. 'ADULT-FRIENDLY' FORMS OF ASSESSMENT AND ACCREDITATION as an option. Assessment and accreditation should be geared to adults' needs and experience. Not all adults want assessment or accreditation in mathematics, it should be an option for those who do. Where mathematics tests are used to regulate entry to work and to training for work, the mathematics in the test should be related to the mathematics required in the work concerned.
8. STAFF DEVELOPMENT for adult mathematics educators. Opportunities for adult mathematics educators and researchers to come together. The formal and informal networks that result are vitally important for staff development. Pre- and in-service training specifically for adult mathematics education is a necessity. Teaching mathematics to adults is a very hard job: e.g. teachers have to decide during their instruction how to integrate students' problems in the continuing instruction, so they must have mini-didactical approaches in mind, which they can actualise in the maths course whenever they need them.
ELECTRONIC LISTS
The MATHS-SUPPORT list on Mailbase is now LEARNING-MATHS. The description of the new list is: "Links: maths and numeracy teachers, researchers in post compulsory education. Emphases: adults, other students outside traditional education, learners in colleges and universities for whom maths is ancillary. Based on: Adults Learning Maths Research Forum, Maths Support Network."
There are well over 100 members of this list, both in and outside the UK. You can use it to have discussions, collect information, or announce events.
To send a message to the list you have to first join, by sending message:
join learning-maths
to:
mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk
After joining, messages are just posted to:
learning-maths@mailbase.ac.uk
ANYONE GOT A BURNING ISSUE THEY WANT TO RAISE???
NEW DISCUSSION FORUM - MEANS LIST
The newly-established MEANS list is a discussion forum for teachers of undergraduates, employers and recent graduates whose work involves statistics.
Subscribers will all be interested in finding ways of 'Matching Education, Assessment and Employment Needs in Statistics' for specialists and/or non-specialists.
The list has been established as part of the MEANS Higher Education discipline network project, one of a number of two-year DfEE-funded Higher Education networks aimed at enhancing the employability of graduates.
To subscribe, send the following one-line message to;
mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk
subscribe MEANS Firstname Secondname
replacing the last two words with your own names.
The MEANS project is aimed at exploring whether there are indeed areas of mismatch between the statistics education received by specialists and/ornon-specialists, and what they later require (or can offer) in employment terms. The project is managed by Peter Holmes:
e-mail ph@pmn1.maths.nott.ac.ukat
the RSS Centre for Statistical Education at the University of
Nottingham.
Core partners are Nottingham Trent, Sheffield and Sheffield
Hallam Universities.
The MEANS project has been running for 8 months now, and a picture of some of the areas of mismatch is beginning to emerge, as are insights into examples of good education and assessment practices that may help to bridgethe gaps. Such examples are likely to involve variations in teaching content and approach, as well as in assessment methods. Some involve collaboration in the education process between employers and academic institutions, something that the MEANS list may well stimulate.
The MEANS list will provide an opportunity for employers to voice their experiences about the adequacy or otherwise of their graduate recruits' education; for them to learn more about the constraints under which academics are operating; and possibly for them to revise their expectations of the skills that their graduate recruits can offer. This last might well lead to those skills being more effectively exploited.
The discussion forum will encourage debate and challenge beliefs about what doesand what does not constitute good (or bad) practice in statistical education at university level, thereby providing further insights into factors influencing the statistical teaching and learning processes. Academics will also be able to compare and contrast their teaching content and methods with those used by other training institutions (including employers' in-house schemes).
Finally, the MEANS project team are producing a range of newsletters and reports on seminar events, etc. These will eventually be lodged on the RSS Centre's web-site, but for those without WWW access, the MEANS list will be an alternative way of hearing about, and obtaining, such materials.
Contact: Dr Anne Hawkins
President, International Association for Statistical Education
Director, RSS Centre for Statistical Education,
The University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
e-mail: ash@maths.nott.ac.uk
ICME-8 WORKING GROUP 18 - ADULTS RETURNING TO MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
ICME-8, the International Congress on Mathematics Education No.8, featured,for the first time a Working Group (WG18) 'Adults Returning to Mathematics Education'.
ICME met in Seville, Spain in July 1997. ALM member Gail Fitzsimon convened the Working Group, assisted by ALM Chair Diana Coben and Steering Group member John O'Donoghue. Gail is editing the papers presented in the working group - which are currently in press as:
G. E. FitzSimons (Ed.), Adults (returning to) study mathematics: Papers from the 8th International Congress on Mathematics Education (ICME 8) WorkingGroup18. Adelaide, SA: Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers.
AUSTRALIAN NUMERACY BOOKS NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH AVANTI BOOKS
AVANTI Books now has the distribution rights to the publications produced and disseminated through ARIS (the Adult Basic Education Resource and Information Service) in Australia. These include the adult numeracy teaching resources:
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS, by Beth Marr, Judith Martin and Ruth Goddard
MATHEMATICS: A NEW BEGINNING, by Beth Marr and Sue Helme
NUMERACY ON THE LINE, by Beth Marr, Dave Tout and Chris Anderson.
Some ALM readers may have seen these popular resources at the ALM Conference in Brighton last year when Beth Marr, Betty Johnston and Dave Tout from Australia attended and displayed these resources.
For further details, contact:
AVANTI Books, 8 Parsons Green, Boulton Road, Pin Green Industrial
Estate, Stevenage SG1 4QG, UK.
Tel: +44 (0) 1438 350155
Fax: +44 (0) 1438 741131
CAREFREE CALCUALTIONS FOR HEALTHCARE STUDENTS
by Diana Coben and Elizabeth Atere-Roberts.
ALM Chair Diana Coben is co-author of Carefree Calculations for Healthcare Students, with healthcare educator Elizabeth Atere-Roberts. The book is published by Macmillan and available internationally. In the UK it costs£8.99.
ISBN: 0 333 615301
ETHNOMATHEMATICS:
CHALLENGING EUROCENTRISM IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
edited by Arthur B. Powell and Marilyn Frankenstein
"This collection brings together classic, previously published articles and new research to present the emerging field of ethnomathematics from a critical perspective, challenging particular ways in which Eurocentrism permeates mathematics education." (publisher's blurb). Includes chapters by ALM members
Mary Harris, Gelsa Knijnik and many others.
Published by State University of New York Press, c/o CUP Services, POBox 6525, Ithaca, NY 14851, USA. $22.95 paperback; $68.50 hardcover.
SUNY Press is available on-line: http://www.sunypress.eduor gopher://sunypress.edu
REVIEW:- GET IT TOGETHER
by Carolyn Gardner, Linn-Benton Community College Corvallis, Oregon 97330.
Tel: (541)757-8944
e-mail: ckg@dots.physics.orst.edu
At the ALM conference in Brighton this summer, one session demonstrated activities to use with adult students. Some of the problem solving activities demonstrated came from Tim Erickson's book, Get It Together.
Adult Basic Skills Development instructors at Linn-Benton Community College have been successfully using these activities and highly recommend the book as a easy way to get your class started solving problems in groups. These activities are an excellent method to stimulate thinking and working asa group to solve a problem - skills that employers desire. Teachers must be prepared to work too, as there is no answer key.
There is a collection of over 100 mathematics problems for groups of3-6 people.
They vary widely in difficulty, but all have the same format: six clue cards providing the information needed. Since each member of the group has a different bit of information everyone has to work together to arrive at solutions.
Some of the topics covered are: Logic; Numbers and Operations; Geometry; Algebra; Probability; Measurement, and Functions. Although it was written for children in grades 4-12, the activities are very appropriate and interesting for adults too. The book also offers advice for teachers on how to introduce, facilitate, and assess co-operative learning in their classrooms.
GET IT TOGETHER is published by and can be ordered from:
Equals Programs, Lawrence Hall of Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-5200, USA
Tel (501) 642-1910
Cost: $18 plus $6 P&P ($5 for US)
Send a cheque in US dollars, an international money order, or a creditcard number and expiry date.
UNITED WE SOLVE
by Tim Erikson.
United We Solve - Tim Erickson's new book - is a collection of math problems for groups to solve. Aimed at high-standard middle-grade programs, it costs$19.95 plus P&P. For more information see;
Tim's Home Page :-
PERFECT TIMES
Presented at ALM-2 and detailed as a paper in the Conference proceedings was a game designed to help people conquer times tables. The game is called Perfect Times and can be played in several different ways. Good news for all those who want to learn or teach times tables, Perfect Times is now being printed and is available through Mosaic Educational Publications. A pack covers the two to twelve times tables and costs £12.92 (plus£2.35 P&P)
Contact:
Mosaic Educational Publications,
15 Barnfield Avenue,
Exmouth
Devon
EX8 2QE
Tel: +44 (0) 1395 223801
Fax: +44 (0) 1395 223818
Wendy is using a PC version of Perfect Times to collect data for her research. If you would like to have a copy and collect data please contact Wendy (or see her postal address at the end of the Newsletter).
BASIC SKILLS AGENCY (UK) - RECENT REPORTS
Two reports were published in the UK to coincide with the BBC numeracy campaign, 'Count Me In', in January 1997.
In the first, 'International Numeracy Survey: a comparison of the basic skills of adults 16-60 in seven countries' ISBN 1 85990 058 5 (Free), UK respondents came bottom of the international league. Questioned on addition and subtraction of decimals, simple multiplication, the calculation of area, calculating percentages and using fractions, only 20% of people tested in the UK completed all twelve tasks accurately. The corresponding figure was33% in the country which came second from the bottom, Australia.
In the second report, 'Does Numeracy Matter? Evidence from the National Child Development Study on the impact of poor numeracy on adult life' ISBN1 85990 060 7 (£6), Bynner and Parsons (1997) conclude that in comparison with literacy, numeracy does matter. In their study of evidence from th National Child Development Study, involving 1714 adults aged 37, on the impact of poor numeracy on adult life they found that "People without numeracy skills suffered worse disadvantage in employment than those with poor literacy skills alone. They left school early, frequently without qualifications, and had more difficulty in getting and maintaining full-time employment. The jobs entered were generally low grade with limited training opportunities and poor pay prospects. Women with numeracy difficulties appeared especially vulnerable to exclusion from the clerical and sales jobs to which they aspired. Men's problems were less clearly differentiated between occupations."(Bynner and Parsons 1997:27)
Both reports are available from;
The Basic Skills Agency,
Commonwealth House,
1-19 New Oxford Street,
London WC1A 1NU,
Tel: +44 (0) 171 405 4017
Fax: +44 (0) 171 440 6626
RESEARCH: HELP!
HELP!
My name is Kathy Bocutt. I am undertaking research to try to identify the various mental methods adults use to calculate basic arithmetic. I am comparing methods used by adults who feel 'confident' with everyday maths and those who do not. I have a particular interest in how adults who have limited mental computational skills can be helped to develop them. I am having great difficulty finding relevant literature. Please, does anyone have any ideas that may be of help or sources of reference?
Contact: Kathy Bocutt.
Tel: +44 (0) 1525 872726
email: 100754.2157@CompuServe.COM
Table X Tables
After teaching in secondary education for several years, Wendy is now researching in mathematics education. Wendy also teaches adults mathematics at the University of Plymouth concentrating mostly helping dyslexic students. Wendy's research is concerned with the learning of mastery of multiplication tables, in particular, the attitudes, the learning experiences and current methodology used amongst adults and children. Any contributions in the way of ideas, experiences and methodologies would be more than welcome.
Contact: Wendy's postal address is given at end of newsletter.
NOW ALM NEWSLETTER is..... Twice A Year!
There are to be two ALM Newsletters a year. The aim of this is to improve publicity for events and to enable better dissemination of information; raising of more issues and printing of longer articles
We welcome contributions from all ALM members. Any interesting anecdotes; useful tips; mathematical puzzles or problems that could be used with ou students; burning issues you would like to discuss or bring to the attention of other members; student misconceptions that we could discuss in open forum. This is your newsletter and members would like YOUR news, views and ideas.
Please send your contributions by e-mail to Wendy at the address at the end, or on disk in PC format, or as hard copy which Joy Joseph has kindly offered to type.
Deadlines for next editions are:-
May 15 1997
November 15 1997
Disclaimer
This newsletter was written and compiled by Wendy Fortescue-Hubbard and Dr Diana Coben on behalf of ALM. The views expressed in individual articles or details of conferences are the contributors' own; they do not necessarily represent the views of the Steering Group or editors and no responsibility for them is taken by the editors or ALM.
Many thanks to all our contributors.
Any items that you would like to submit to the newsletter can be sent to Wendy.
Contact:
Wendy Fortescue-Hubbard
School of Mathematics and Statistics,
University of Plymouth,
Drake Circus,
Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, UK.
TEL: +44 (0) 1752 232725
FAX: +44 (0) 1752 232780
e.mail: wfortescue-hubbard@plymouth.ac.uk
Who Are We?
ALM was founded in July 1994 our Inaugural Conference (ALM-1) was held at Fircroft College of Adult Education in Birmingham. Our aim is to bring together practitioners and researchers who are interested in research into adults learning of mathematics. We aim to narrow the gap between research and practice by encouraging discussion of all stages of the research process, from initial idea to final outcome and by encouraging practitioners to undertake research; a point addressed in Kathy Stafford's lively paper, 'Practitioners as researchers: conducting research where the rubber meets the road'.
Since 1994 ALM has gone from strength to strength with over 129 members in 19 countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Uganda, UK, USA and Zimbabwe.
Our third international conference took place in July 1996 and
a glanceat the topics discussed gives a flavour of the range of
current issues and research activity around the world.
These included:
A review of issues around women, mathematics and work by our Keynote Speaker, Mary Harris, formerly of the Institute of Education, University of London.
The assessment of numeracy at the University of Limerick.
The use of Piagetian clinical exploration to investigate work-related activities of building workers with little schooling in Argentina.
Adult Students' reactions to exploration and modelling in a university mathematics paper in New Zealand.
Computer-aided learning for straight line graphs at the University of North London
The inter-relations between academic and popular mathematical knowledge in work with the landless people's movement in Brazil
Professional development for adult teachers in the vocational education and training sector in Australia
The lessons for adult educators in the USA
The ALM-3 Proceedings are OUT NOW
Proceedings of the third international conference of Adults Learning Maths-A Research Forum (ALM-3), held July 5-7 1996 at the University of Brighton, UK. One copy will be sent FREE to ALM-3 participants and current ALM members. Additional copies cost 5 pounds sterling each, including posting and packing, from Diana Coben. Please make cheques out to Goldsmiths College.
As a member, you will be in touch with practitioners and researchers from around the world who share your interest in adults learning mathematics and you will receive a copy of the Conference proceeding of our latest conference,ALM-3
To join ALM please complete the ALM Membership form and the ALM Members' Interests form below.
ADULTS LEARNING MATHS - A RESEARCH FORUM
ALM
Membership of ALM is open to anyone interested in the objects of the Association, as set out in the Constitution.
The object of the Association is to promote the learning of mathematics by adults though an international forum which brings together those engaged and interested in research and developments in the field of adult mathematics* teaching and learning.
* Within ALM we understand the term 'mathematics' to include 'numeracy'.
You may join ALM at any time and remain a member for 12 months from the date of joining. If your subscription remains unpaid for 6 months or more, you cease to be a member of the ALM.
Membership is available as follows:
Individual: full voting rights 10 pounds sterling
Institutional: 1 representative per institution with full voting rights20 pounds sterling
Students/unwaged/low-waged: full voting rights on receipt of verification of status 2 pounds sterling
To join ALM please complete this form with your subscription to:
Sue Elliott, ALM Treasurer, Centre for Mathematics Education, SheffieldHallam University, 25 Broomsgrove Road, Sheffield, S10 2NA, UK.
Please make cheques (in Sterling* only, please) payable to: Adults LearningMaths (ALM).
*If you live in the USA, Australia, New Zealand or Denmark you may pay in your own currency through your local ALM agent. Contacts for the local agents are given on the front of the newsletter, alternatively indicate below and we'll send you the relevant information.
Please cut here
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Name (in block capitals)
Contact address
Telephone
I enclose a cheque/postal order/banker's order/standing order form* for.... to renew/pay my subscription as an Individual/ Institutional/ Students/unwaged/low-waged member of ALM (please delete as appropriate).
*This form is available from the Treasurer.
Please send me details of how to pay in USA/Australia/New Zealand/Denmark(please delete as appropriate).
For office use:
Date of joining
Renewal date.
ALM local agent
ALM MEMBERS' INTERESTS FORM
ALM Register of Members' Interests
One of the functions of ALM is to put people in touch with others with similar interests. To achieve this we need some information about yours.
Which sectors of education are you interested in?
Please tick as many as apply to you.
Adult-only provision:
basic skills
post-basic please specify
Adults in post-16 provision
basic skills
post-basic please specify
Maths support please specify
Degree level courses:
maths support
other please specify
Teacher education
Proson education
Hospital education
Working with unemployed people
Workplace education
Distance learning
Other please specify
Which topics are you interested in? Please tick as many as apply to you.
Gender
Learning in a second language
Maths histories
Feelings about maths
Language
Adults' everyday use of maths
Student writing about maths
Dyslexia
Disabilities
Algebra
Assessment
Accreditation
How adults learn
Teaching methods
Staff development and teaching the teachers
The use of technology in learning maths
Development and evaluation of learning materials
Research methodologies
Other please specify
We will circulate your details to other members of ALM to promote networking(and possibly other organisations with similar interests) unless you put a cross here ___.
Name
Address
Phone
Fax
Country
Last updated: 10/3/97, 7.00 pm