In the 2012 PIAAC Survey of Adult Skills of 23 industrialised countries, the UK (England & NI) scored below average on adult numeracy. Several recommendations focus on the need for (some) individuals in the population to undergo training. Yet, even in "high-performing countries" like the Netherlands, many adults (1.5M) score at or…

The development of socio-cultural understandings of mathematics combined with policy interest in adult numeracy as a result of international studies, which compare skill levels in different countries, have impacted adult education practice in recent years. In Scotland, a "social practice approach" is espoused and adult numeracy tutors…

"Focus on Basics" is a publication of the US Division of World Education, Inc. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. "Focus on Basics" is dedicated to connecting research with…

The six articles in this issue tackle topics that relate to the role and function of numeracy in adult life. "Reading Comprehension in Written Mathematics Problems" (Sue Wareham) examines the levels of reading ability required of numeracy students and offers strategies to help students with limited reading skills. "Can Ordinary…

This report identifies 13 instructional strategies for teaching adult numeracy skills that address issues of assessment, development of mathematical skills, and development of problem-solving skills. The rationale and suggestions regarding the following 13 instructional principles are described: address and evaluate attitudes and beliefs about…

In order to help students learn mathematics skills and how to apply them, a staff development workshop for vocational tutors was held at Calderdale College (England). The workshop focused on three objectives: to identify and raise awareness of students' needs, to identify barriers to learning, and to identify ways of supporting students. Four key…

This publication provides curriculum ideas for the mathematical stream of the Certificates of General Education (CGE) for Adults in Victoria, Australia. It is intended to support people developing numeracy or basic mathematics courses in adult literacy and basic education. An introduction defines numeracy, describes the accreditation framework for…

This resource includes units of work developed by different practitioners that integrate the teaching of literacy with the teaching of numeracy in adult basic education. It is designed to provide models of integration for teachers to develop similar resources on different contexts or themes. The units follow slightly different formats. Unit…

This package for presenters contains an 84-hour professional development course designed to train and support teachers of adult numeracy and mathematics in adult literacy and basic education. The information for presenters provided at the beginning includes material on how the course was developed, content and structure, and lists of resources and…

This curriculum material is designed to be used effectively in any adult literacy and basic education program to develop numeracy skills in learners with an interest in cars. This flexible course consists of six units. It can be taught as a short course, units can be taught individually, and units can be taught in any sequence. Each unit is…

This guide, part of a series of workplace-developed materials for retraining factory workers, provides teaching materials for a workplace mathematics course. The course is a review of basic number concepts focused on helping participants to understand the meaning of numbers and arithmetic operations. The introductory materials include a course…

For many adults, geometry is a mathematics topic that immediately makes sense to them and gives them confidence in their ability to learn, while other adult learners identify geometry with failure. Most adults, however, do recognize the need for measurement, and many have a basic understanding of measurement concepts, although they may need to…

This workplace skills course on mathematics is a review of basic number concepts focused on helping participants to understand and be able to record filling level data accurately. The introductory materials in the curriculum guide include a course outline, course objectives, a topical outline, information on course length and continuing education…

Baseline information about numeracy education provision in the United States was collected in a questionnaire completed by 350 (57.9%) of 650 adult education programs surveyed. The usable responses yielded data about numeracy education provided to 774,955 students in 15 states. Among the study's main findings were the following: more than 80% of…

This document, which was developed for participants in a videoconference examining a new approach to adult numeracy instruction, contains information and resources to help literacy trainers improve their numeracy programs. Presented first are the following: 12 instructional goals/principles that are based on the premise that numeracy educators…