http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9498000/9498587.stm
Worth a listen. Brian Butterworth states that the curriculum in schools is such that potential mathematicians are put off because they get turned off by calculations such as long division before they every reach mathematics. How true!
Monday, June 06, 2011
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Dyscalculium
Dyscalculium is an on-line screening tool for Dyscalculia for adults.
I asked for more details on prices (see below). In college I meet students who are dyscalculic and until now we have been using GL Dyscalculia Screener. The big question is how to help learners with the mindset that they will never be any good at maths. What can I do to help them?
Sunday, October 17, 2010
New Core Skills Bulletin
This refers to the new Numeracy Exemplar Assessment ideas now available on SQA Secure.
Here is a quick link to the bulletin.
Here is a quick link to the bulletin.
Friday, April 09, 2010
April Fool's Joke
On 1 April I played a joke on my Int 2 Maths class which went down a treat.
I made up an official looking letter which accompanied the 1979 O'Grade Arithmetic Paper 1 (non-calculator) and gave it to the class. To their credit they tried to do it but I had to stop them after 15 minutes as they were beginning to panic. They commented that it was much, much harder than anything they had ever seen before. They found it hard to believe that it was an actual exam paper.
For those of you who are much younger than me there used to be two exams, the O Grade Maths and the O Grade Arithmetic. For entry into nursing a pass Arithmtic was essential and they did not need maths. Personally I would rather my nurse was excellent at arithmetic and do not care whether they can do trig or factorise a quadratic.
Perhaps CfE will address this.
I made up an official looking letter which accompanied the 1979 O'Grade Arithmetic Paper 1 (non-calculator) and gave it to the class. To their credit they tried to do it but I had to stop them after 15 minutes as they were beginning to panic. They commented that it was much, much harder than anything they had ever seen before. They found it hard to believe that it was an actual exam paper.
For those of you who are much younger than me there used to be two exams, the O Grade Maths and the O Grade Arithmetic. For entry into nursing a pass Arithmtic was essential and they did not need maths. Personally I would rather my nurse was excellent at arithmetic and do not care whether they can do trig or factorise a quadratic.
Perhaps CfE will address this.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
New HMIE Report
On Saturday (yes Saturday!!) I attended the Scottish Mathematics Council Conference in Stirling Uni. What a packed conference! The Keynote Speaker was Fiona Robertson HMIe who spoke about the new report Learning Together:Mathematics. Her presentation was excellent. I just wish it was on Youtube so that everyone could hear it - especially managers!
To read the report go to either the pdf version or the html version
I attended workshops including 'Numeracy across the Curriculum'. It made me wonder what happens to numeracy between children leaving primary school and arriving in college.
To read the report go to either the pdf version or the html version
I attended workshops including 'Numeracy across the Curriculum'. It made me wonder what happens to numeracy between children leaving primary school and arriving in college.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Wordpress v Blogger
After using Blogger for years I have started to use Wordpress for any new blogs. Each has a place. In Blogger I can change font size and tweek the layout. I can't change the font size in Wordpress - it might be possible but I have not been able to do it.
A new blog has been set up for the Study Base. There are thousands of websites to help with numeracy and maths but students are not in the position to judge if it is appropriate or not. The Study Base Blog directs students to exercises to cover what they are struggling with.
A new blog has been set up for the Study Base. There are thousands of websites to help with numeracy and maths but students are not in the position to judge if it is appropriate or not. The Study Base Blog directs students to exercises to cover what they are struggling with.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
My Blogs Update
At the moment I have 3 teaching blogs which are 'live'.
Numeracy Level 5 for IT students new
Maths Analysis 1 for NC Engineers re-born
Maths Intermediate 2 new
I am using Wordpress for new blogs and Blogger for the old ones.
A staff-development blog for Numeracy in Clydebank College has just be born. It is similar to this one.
Numeracy Level 5 for IT students new
Maths Analysis 1 for NC Engineers re-born
Maths Intermediate 2 new
I am using Wordpress for new blogs and Blogger for the old ones.
A staff-development blog for Numeracy in Clydebank College has just be born. It is similar to this one.
