[Nesabes] FW: NIFL Special topic discussion focusing on Numeracy beginning Sept 17th

Wed Sep 12 17:23:30 EDT 2007

Dear Colleagues

If you're interested in participating in this discussion, see link below
to subscribe (it's in the second email).  It comes recommended by Bob B
along with the MA DOE Math Guidelines links below in the first email.

Best regards,

Carol

Carol Bower

Director, Northeast SABES

Northern Essex Community College

45 Franklin Street

Lawrence, MA 01840

978-738-7301

"SABES: Training Leaders in Adult Basic Education"

For more information on the System for Adult Basic Education Support
(SABES) please go to: sabes.org/northeast <http://sabes.org/northeast> 

For information on upcoming SABES offerings or to register for events
please go to: calendar.sabes.org/northeast
<http://calendar.sabes.org/northeast> 

________________________________

This from Bob:

Thanks for the notice promoting a session that no adult educator should
miss.  The adults we serve need our field to be just as committed to and
expert in numeracy as we strive to be in literacy / reading and writing.
More of us need to understand that numeracy is not simply about one of
many "subject areas," but a literacy in its own right -- a fundamental
vehicle for making and communicating meaning.  The problem, not just for
adult educators but for all educators, is that unlike "literacy" which
most of our nation's adult population navigates with a relatively high
degree of fluency, most studies suggest that only about 10% of adults
are really "numerate."  What this refers to is not whether someone can
compute at an elementary or secondary (or even beginning post secondary)
level, but whether someone has a deep understanding of the meaning /
"conceptual framework" that undergirds even the most basic math that we
do.  For teachers, this includes being able to answer questions like
"WHY" something works the way that it does, and whether a
non-traditional algorithm for solving a problem can be generalized,
i.e., is it actually correct for more than a single instance. 

The following link will bring readers to a document recently published
by the Massachusetts Department of Education:  "Guidelines for the
Mathematical Preparation of Elementary Teachers."  The Guidelines focus
primarily on mathematics covered in elementary school with only
occasional journeys into middle school level math.  I believe the
Guidelines do a good job of illustrating that "basic math" is really
anything but "basic" for most adults -- including teachers and other
professionals.  I strongly believe the material covered is as relevant
to adult educators as it is to teachers of children.  I recommend it as
another good read in preparation for (or follow up to) the forum that
will be hosted by the Special Topics List. 

http://www.doe.mass.edu/mtel/MathGuidance.pdf
<http://www.doe.mass.edu/mtel/MathGuidance.pdf> 

Finally, those joining in on the Components of Numeracy discussion which
begins on 9/17 will have the opportunity to benefit from the collective
wisdom of three of the most accomplished and prominent professionals in
the area of numeracy.  Don't miss it!

take care,

bob bickerton, MA sr associate commissioner of education (and former MA
state ABE director)

-----Original Message-----

From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
[mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org]On Behalf Of David
Rosen

Sent: Tuesday, September 11, 2007 1:24 PM

To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE

Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Special Topics Discussion: The Components of
Numeracy

AAACE-NLA Colleagues, 

>From September 17th - 21st, the Special Topics list will hold a
discussion with Mary Jane Schmitt, Myrna Manly and Dr. Lynda Ginsburg,
authors of The Components of Numeracy, an occasional paper published by
the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy in
December 2006.

You or your colleagues who may wish to join this discussion can
subscribe by going to

http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics

After you complete the simple registration form (30 seconds) you will
receive an email asking you to confirm that you wish to subscribe.
Immediately reply to the email to complete your subscription. After the
discussion ends you can unsubscribe from the same Web address, or stay
on for the next discussion.

There is a discussion taking place on the Special Topics list now about
International Education. It will end Friday, September 14th. If you do
not want to get the posts from that discussion, wait until the 15th to
subscribe -- but don't wait too long.  The Components of Numeracy
discussion begins on September 17th.

Authors' Biographies

Lynda Ginsburg is a senior researcher for mathematics education at
Rutgers University and is currently conducting NSF-sponsored research on
adult learners' work with their children on mathematics homework and on
mathematics learning in out-of-school settings. Prior to this position,
she worked at the National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL) for 12 years
where she participated in the development of a number of adult education
projects including Captured Wisdom, the Professional Development Kit
(PDK) and LiteracyLink. She has taught mathematics in high schools, in
ABE/GED and workplace programs, and in community college developmental
classes. She holds a Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Myrna Manly (B.A. Mathematics, M.A. Education, M.S. Applied Mathematics)
has experience teaching mathematics at many academic levels, most
recently as a Professor of Mathematics at El Camino College. In that
capacity, she developed curricula designed to adapt the foundation
courses for the needs of at-risk students. She also is the author of The
GED Math Problem Solver, a textbook that integrates all the strands of
math into a coherent approach to test preparation. In addition to
instruction, she has been involved with the assessment of the
mathematics proficiency of adults as the Mathematics Specialist for the
1988 version of the GED test and as a member of the numeracy team for
the Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL). She also brings
experience in Professional Development to the project, having worked
with states and programs, facilitating staff-development and
train-the-trainer workshops (e.g. Making Math Meaningful in CA and VA,
GED as Project in VA, GED Math Institute in Washington, DC) that were
aimed at improving mathematics instruction to adults.

Mary Jane Schmitt has been an adult educator for over 35 years. She has
taught mathematics in ABE, GED, and ESL programs, has worked at the
Massachusetts Department of Education, and is currently a project
director at TERC in Cambridge, MA, where she directs the Adult
Numeracy at TERC projects. Mary Jane is the co-author and co-principal
investigator for the Extending Mathematical Power (EMPower) Project
Mathematics Curriculum for Adult Learners recently published by Key
Curriculum Press. She is a co-founder of the Adult Numeracy Network
(ANN). Mary Jane's undergraduate degree is in mathematics and she holds
an M.Ed. from Harvard University. She is the 2004 recipient of the
Kenneth J. Mattran Award for exemplary work at the national and
international levels given by the Commission on Adult Basic Education
(COABE).

Discussion Preparation Recommended Readings

The Components of Numeracy (especially the summary on page 34)

The Adult Numeracy Network's "Teaching and Learning Principles" and
"Professional Development Principles."

The Inclusion of Numeracy in Adult Basic Education, Volume 3, Chapter 5,
Review of Adult Learning and Literacy

To gain insight into the importance of numeracy or quantitative literacy
in today's society, select a few chapters that interest you from
"Mathematics and Democracy: The case for Quantitative Literacy."

David J. Rosen

Special Topics Discussion Moderator

djrosen at comcast.net

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