This post is written by Gerry Golding, an OU staff tutor in Northern Ireland, who led the mathematics education team in creating a free resource for improving adult numeracy and confidence with maths.
Last month I wrote about our new, free OpenLearn learning materials, Everyday Maths NI. These range from 5 minute videos and 15-minute learning activities to 48-hour distance learning courses studied at your own pace, and in your own home.
When we were developing the materials, we identified three priority goals that the courses should fulfil:
- An enabler for studying an Essential Skills Numeracy qualification and beyond.
- A confidence builder to refresh or develop existing numeracy skills
- A support for parents helping their children with maths homework
An enabler for studying an Essential Skills Numeracy qualification and beyond
For many adults at the beginning of their mathematical journey the idea of attending a Further Education college with other students can be quite a daunting prospect. In many cases, this may stem from past negative experiences around mathematics. We created short inspirational videos and micro learnings to inspire adults facing this dilemma to get started on their journey.
A still from the video From zero to Hero
If they like this style, they can start on the longer online courses. These are especially tailored to follow the same content as the Essential skills Adult Numeracy courses taught in Further Education colleges in NI. Each course has regular quizzes that you can take and retake until the learning is secure. Gaining the badge on our online course should give people the confidence and information to enrol for the right college class and formal qualification.
A confidence builder to refresh or develop existing skills
For many careers, mathematics is an entry requirement. Adults who are looking to start a new job may already have the required entry qualification, but it’s been a while since they studied. They may not have practised using their mathematics, or they may not realise just how much they have learnt from using mathematics in their lives. Our badge courses can be used as a refresher, a way of checking what they already know and what they need to develop.
Nursing is a good example where there is an entry requirement of GCSE. Having a GCSE qualification from years ago might not be sufficient for their progression, as nurses must also take the “medication calculation” test once they gain entry. One of our microlearning activities looks at the ideas of ratio and proportion needed for nursing.
Questions from the ratio and proportion activity
A support for parents helping their children with maths homework
We have all heard the stories of heated debates between parents and children because the methods being taught in schools nowadays are not the same as the methods taught years ago. We were thinking of this when we made the short videos in our Everyday Maths courses that explain the basic mathematical methods such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
In many cases we demonstrate the old and new methods side by side so that parents can see how both methods achieve the same results. We hope that this approach might foster a sense of learning together and perhaps reduce the need to ask generative AI for help instead.
Next Steps
Currently, an adult in NI wishing to gain an essential skills numeracy qualification can only do so through a Further Education college, attending for a designated number of hours of tuition and completing an exam at the end. We are having our resources reviewed independently by the Department of Education in NI with the goal of having them ratified as fast track options. This would mean that students who have gained both badges would only be required to sit the exam. Once we have gained this recognition, we plan to collaborate with the further education colleges, who might host revision events and the examination itself. We will be showcasing our resources to the extended NI education sector at an event in September.
Four nations
The original Multiply funding supported numeracy programmes across all four nations of the UK, and there were many exciting face-to-face events. The Open University developed these materials for Northern Ireland, and of course they will stay available for many years. There are also (older) versions for England and Wales that match the qualifications in those nations. The beauty of distance learning is that anyone can access these courses from any computer at a time they want.