What Works Professional Learning Series – Teaching numeracy to adults
Presenter: Facilitators: Ros Bauer and Jo Medlin | Expert presenters: Dave Tout, Adam Nobilia, Tina Berghella When: March to September Duration: 8 session x 1 hour Cost: Free ALA members | $65 per session non-members
In 2022, our What Works Professional Learning Series focuses on adult numeracy teaching practice.
This eight-part online professional learning series brings together experts in adult numeracy education to explore effective numeracy teaching for adults – with a strong emphasis on fun and engagement. Each session will be co-facilitated by Ros Bauer and Jo Medlin with presentations from a combination of our expert presenters, addressing how to teach a particular aspect of numeracy, covering different mathematical content areas and strategies to use in individual, small or whole group work.
Our professional learning series will:
provide a practical framework for teaching numeracy
create critical connections between literacy, maths and language
provide strategies and resources that will enhance numeracy teaching practice
explore dimensions of numeracy for work and life.
8 hands-on numeracy workshops
1: Starting points to teaching adults numeracy
Date: Wed 2 March 1.00–2.00pm AEDT
Hands-on approaches to teaching numeracy using simple everyday materials – covering different levels and different maths content, including estimating skills, measurement (time and mass), money and decimals.
2: Critical connections between literacy, maths and language = numeracy
Date: Wed 30 March 1.00 – 2.00pm AEDT
Explores the relationship between language, literacy, maths and numeracy. Offers evidence-based and practical solutions to help learners solve numeracy problems and understand the maths behind it.
Practical strategies that support adults to make connections between fractions, percentages, and decimals, identifying what is essential to include in your teachings using everyday activities that cover values, conversions etc.
Explores the dimensions of numeracy embedded in everyday life such as cooking, gardening, health management – including concepts including measurement, fractions etc.
Supports adults to comprehend different aspects of time, use maps, follow directions and travel to new locations (working out time intervals and durations, interpreting timetables and schedules, etc.)
Explores ways to support adults with workplace numeracy concepts; including formulae, measurements, rates and ratios, estimation, accuracy and tolerances.
Ros has extensive experience in adult education as a language literacy numeracy practitioner. She was the winner of the 2013 Australian Training Awards Excellence in Adult Language Literacy and Numeracy Practice and a recipient of an Executive Fellowship through the Australian Endeavour Awards that included a professional learning experience in Scandinavia. Ros has worked as part of the NT LLN Network Group and an educational consultant to the Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation. She is currently Head of Department – Career Pathways, Aboriginal Languages & Employability Skills at TAFE NSW.
Ros's bio
JoMedlin
Facilitator
President – Australian Council of Adult Literacy
Jo is an adult literacy and numeracy (LN) advocate. Currently her advocacy work centres on her role as President of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL). This includes being the ACAL representative on the DESE Foundation Skills Advisory Committee, The Reading Writing Hotline, The Education IRC, and a judge for the Australian Training Awards (LLN category). Jo works as a consultant, specialising in resource development, PD and teaching. This year she also worked with SBS on the documentary Lost for Words where she co-taught adult LN learners and devised an intensive nine-week student-centred learning program.
Jo's bio
DaveTout
Expert presenter
Senior Research Fellow – Australian Council for Educational Research
Dave is a Senior Research Fellow in numeracy and mathematics at the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). He is an experienced LLN educator who is particularly interested in making mathematics relevant, interesting and fun for all learners, especially those disengaged from mathematics. He has worked in schools, TAFEs, community providers, universities, industry and national education organisations, and has written many numeracy and mathematics teaching, assessment and professional development resources for youth and adults, including curriculum for the CGEA, VCE and VCAL in Victoria. He is an author of the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF). Dave is also chair of the Numeracy Expert Group for the OECD’s international survey of adult skills (PIAAC) and is an appointed member of the Education IRC which is responsible for the TAE and the FSK Training Packages.
Dave's bio
TinaBerghella
Expert presenter
Director – Oggi Consulting
Tina is the Director of Oggi Consulting, a business formed in 1998 to provide quality vocational education and training consulting services. Tina has a background in manufacturing and project management and is an experienced VET researcher. She has worked on various LLN strategic, resource and training projects, and has a particular interest in workplace numeracy. Her numeracy-related publications include Numeracy by Measure, Numeracy in Focus, Numeracy in Practice and the NCVER report, Seeking the N in LLN. Tina is a former member of the Australian Government’s Foundation Skills Community of Practice and a current member of the Australian Government’s Language, Literacy, Numeracy and Digital (LLND) Skills Quality Assurance Expert Panel.
Tina's bio
AdamNobilia
Expert presenter
Special education and numeracy educator
Adam is known for his teaching role on the SBS Documentary, Lost For Words. This experience provided him with an opportunity to grow as a teacher and to hone his skills with new students. Adam has worked in Corrective Services as a Special Education teacher for over 13 years delivering programs to inmates with an intellectual disability. Adam has qualifications in education, Counselling and Applied Behaviour Analysis all of which inform his work as an Adult Educator. He continues to work at Long Bay Jail on a part-time basis where he teaches literacy, numeracy and vocational skills. In addition, he facilitates psycho-education programs for parolees convicted of a Domestic and Family violence offence as well as delivering the Sober Driver Program. He teaches Certificate III in Community Services to Aboriginal Students at EORA TAFE one evening per week. In his personal life, Adam writes and performs music under the moniker ‘Adam Blacksmith’. In 2019 he collaborated with Community Restorative Centre to write songs with inmates across NSW resulting in the album, ‘Songbirds, Ballads Behind Bars’. Adam’s 3rd studio album ‘Blind to the Sea’ was released on 11 February 2022. Check it out below. (Image by Nigel Wright).
This session is free for members of ALA, and $65 per session for non-members. Read about becoming a member here.
Attendees will receive a Certificate of Attendance on request and can use their participation as a reflection for Developing Vocational Currency and Competency.
