KS3

Professor Catherine Vistro-Yu

Professor Catherine Vistro-Yu has done some interesting work on children's misconceptions in maths being related to their parents misconceptions.

She also found out that when children talk with their parents about maths in real life, their understanding improves.

If you would like to find out more you can contact Professor Viztro-Yu by e-mail on vistroyu@edmu.edu.ph

Family Literacy and Numeracy Courses

Contacts:

Musseret Anwhar

South Norwood CETs Centre

Sally Dubben Davidson Professional Centre

Background Information

Why run a family numeracy or literacy project?

According to the Moser report, approximately one in five adults in this country is not functionally literate and a far greater number of people encounter difficulties with numeracy. In reality, this amounts to seven million people in England who, given the alphabetical index to the yellow pages, are unable to locate the page reference to plumbers. One in four adults are unable to calculate the change from £2, when purchasing three items of grocery.

According to recent Basic Skills Agency research on levels of literacy within the adult population of Croydon, 12.8% were rated as having ‘low’ or ‘very low’ literacy skills, and 28.7% were rated as having ‘low’ numeracy skills.

Family Literacy and Numeracy is part of a national initiative, which aims to raise the standard of basic skills within families. Experience of intergenerational projects in the U.S. and more recently in the UK. show that children’s motivational and learning achievements improve when their parents are actively involved in the process of learning.

In the last two years Continuing Education and Training Service (CETS) has run 14 successful Family Literacy and Family Numeracy Courses in partnership with Croydon Schools. An additional 5 numeracy workshops have been held in schools and other venues. Standards Funding has been secured to run a further 5 Literacy and 3 Numeracy Projects during 2000-1, mainly targeting children aged 3-6 years. There is also an opportunity to run a number of Numeracy Workshops, a Bilingual Project and a project to work with Year 4 pupils and their families.

Who would be the ‘target group’?

Children

Primarily, the target group would be families with children within the 3-6 age group.

Courses could be organised according to the following examples:

All children from one year group

Bilingual families

Year four children (one course)

Parents/carers

Parents or carers of the children involved.

Emphasis is given to parents in need of basic skills support themselves, or who don’t normally participate in school life.

Timing

Family Literacy Model

72-hour course

(72 hours for parents and 72 hours for the children.)

1 X 12 week course, at 6 hours per week

This could be arranged as:

1 full day per week

2x 3 hour sessions per week

3x 2 hour sessions per week

These sessions can be after school or during school hours. It has been found that morning sessions work best.

To include, per week:

4 hours for parents alone

2 hours joint parent and children sessions

3-4 hours for children alone.

Numeracy Course Model

45-hour course

(45 hours for parents and 45 hours for children)

1 x 15 week course, 3 hours per week

· 2 x 3 hour sessions per week

· 3 x 2 hour sessions per week

Can be done after school hours or during the day. It has been found that morning sessions work best.

To include, per week:

· 2 hours for parents alone

· 1 hour joint session for parents with children

· 2 hours for children alone

Costing

Schools currently involved all agree that family learning is good value for money.

ITEM	Funded by CETS	Funded by School
Crèche worker	v
Accreditation	v
Resources for parent classes (incl. Photocopying)	v	v
Advice, information on progression opportunities for parents	v
Children’s teacher	50%	50%
Adult’s tutor	v
Accommodation		v
Children’s resources		v
Refreshments		v
Dissemination	v	v
Planning and assessment	v	v

Curriculum Content

Sessions for parents alone

Sessions for the children alone
Sessions for the parents and children together

· Working on own literacy/numeracy needs identified through initial assessment and individual action plans

· Working on activities related to promoting child’s literacy/numeracy development

· Preparing literacy/numeracy games and activities to use in the joint sessions and at home

· Visits and speakers

· Working towards accreditation

Extra sessions to develop literacy/numeracy skills

These sessions will be in addition to the usual numeracy/literacy activities

· To observe/support children in school activities including numeracy lesson/literacy hour

· Make numeracy/literacy games for shared use

· Play numeracy/literacy games together

· Feedback from the home activities and share ideas and concerns

· Visits and outings-e.g. To the local library

All three strands run concurrently.

The adult tutor in partnership prepares specific curriculum detail with the teacher.

Accommodation

3 rooms are needed. One for parents, one for the crèche and one for the parent/child joint sessions

use spare classrooms

Use hall space

Use libraries

Use wide corridor space/cloakrooms

Staff room or Head Teacher’s room

Medical room

Schools have been very creative!

Staffing

· 1 qualified and experienced adult tutor (provided by CETS)

· 2 crèche workers (employed by the school; paid by CETS)

· 1 children’s teacher (50% funded by school)

· Supply teacher employed for the project or class teacher released from class by supply teacher;

· Head; senior teacher able to commit time.

These are important posts requiring full commitment.

Statistics, reporting and accreditation

Parents assessed before and at the end of the course by adult tutor in the following areas

· Basic skills

· Supporting children’s learning

· Personal development

Children assessed before and at the end of the course by the school, either using current school assessment procedures

or by using tools supplied by Basic Skills Agency

· Register of attendance kept

· Collection of parent details:

    age

    first language

    special needs of parents/children etc.

· Record of adults progression to other courses or increased participation in school

· Dissemination via video, photographs, displays, newsletters produced by the parents

· Parents work towards nationally recognised accreditation-usually Numberpower or Wordpower

· Parents and children receive certification

Workshops (Numeracy only)

In addition to the family numeracy 45-hour courses, funding has been acquired to run short five-hour workshops.

These could be offered as a taster or as an alternative to a course.

These can link in well with a school maths week or other numeracy events, including Family Learning Weekend.

Participation

What has happened last two years?

· 4 schools participated in numeracy courses

· 10 schools participated in literacy programmes

· Over 100 families took part

· 5 Numeracy workshops have been run

Schools and centres participating so far:

Applegarth Infants

Castle Hill Primary

CETS South Norwood Pre-school

Elmwood Infants

Good Shepherd Primary

Rockmount Primary

Spring Park Primary

St Mary’s Infants

Tollgate Primary

Tunstall Nursery

Wayside CET Centre

Wolsey Infants

Woodside Juniors

Involving and keeping parents

Initial recruitment

Some examples of what works

· Target parents who need benefit

· Target lower ability children

· General initial inclusive letter to all parents

· One to one contact with parents, seeking them out in the playground, outside school-keeping an eye out

   for them

· Target minimum 15 parents to retain 10

· Coffee mornings for face to face information

N.B. being proactive and persistent works

b) Keeping parents

· Maintain a waiting list

· Grabbing and following up when parents miss sessions to remind them they can come back

· Via child’s teacher-reminding them of sessions

N.B. being proactive and persistent works!

· Plan for a successful start-the first 3 weeks make or break a class

· Have back up key support staff such as crèche workers in case of a problem.

· Support and recognition from other school staff keeps up motivation. If the school values the training so

   will the parents

· Quality crèche

· Tea, coffee plus biscuits add quality to informal breaks

· A tutor who can empathise well with parents and children

· Best possible accommodation with tables and chairs for adults-a welcoming environment

· Displaying results, photographs etc. and planning for an end event and/or product makes the work valued.

Benefits

Family Literacy /Numeracy Courses benefit the school, the pupils and the parents.

Parents Progress

Parents have greater self-esteem and confidence and become more involved in their child’s school.

Parents enjoy sharing ideas with each other on how to support their children’s learning as well as other parenting

issues.

Parents value spending ‘quality time’ with their children while their younger children are ‘properly cared for in

the crèche’.

Parents appreciate the chance to observe literacy or numeracy lessons.

Many parents overcome a fear of computers, describing them as ‘not scary’ and even ‘enjoyable’.

Parents’ own maths and literacy skills improve.

Parents feel they have a better understanding of what their children are being taught at school and are more able

to support them.

Parents feel more empowered and welcome in their child’s school.

Parents feel more aware of their own training needs and more informed about opportunities available for other

courses and employment. Many continue onto further education, become classroom assistants or take other

paid/voluntary work.

Most parents seem keen to continue and ask for more classes.

Social contact with other parents.

An opportunity to discuss concerns about school issues, which can be fed back to the school.

Value the opportunity to do written or numerical work and improve areas of weakness

Update skills and achieve current qualification in Numeracy and literacy, either as an additional or a first

qualification.

For bilingual parents, the opportunity to get a UK qualification in English.

Feeling confident in speaking to the teachers and more comfortable in the school environment.

Awareness of what is going on in the school and the education system and share useful information.

Study skills-organisation skills useful for later courses e.g. NVQs.

Children’s progress

"Fluency, phonic work and interest in books has improved"                  Spring Park

Speeds up progress in pre-literacy/Numeracy.

Parents in school take away barriers and there is an instant sharing of achievement.

Have designated, quality time with parents who may not or don’t often have time at home.

Intensive work often breaks the negative cycle of failure.

One to one attention from adults.

Begin to enjoy learning and find it fun.

Improved relationship with parents-keen to have joint sessions as they see them as fun.

Children become more confident with other adults as they get experience of working with a larger group of strangers.

Get to know the school better as they have events in different parts of the school

School benefits.

Class teachers able to give more time to the smaller group.

Staff able to get more co-operation as parents more aware of what is needed.

Opportunity for staff and parents to build a relationship-in some cases provides the important initial contact.

Some parents go on to help in the classroom and some become trained as staff.

Teachers gain feedback from talking to parents about their particular curriculum area (Tunstall)

Encourages parents to take an active role in the school and their children’s education.

More positive attitude to literacy and Numeracy among the children

Parents attitude towards the school and staff improves –more support

Most schools feel they benefit from working with parents on a more regular basis and it helps to build a more meaningful partnership.

"It’s been life–changing

for these families"

Head Teacher

"It’s lovely to see the

mums all talking now"

School Secretary

"We’ve really seen a change

in the parent’s self esteem

and confidence"

Head of Early Years

"Every child involved in the project has made progress-I am so pleased."

Head Teacher

"The children have just thrived on extra support through the Family Literacy project

and have enjoyed the adult attention and made real progress."

Teacher

"It was fun making the spelling

game and finding out how children

learn to spell-it’s helped me a lot too!"

Parent

"I never thought I’d actually enjoy going into school, seeing other parents and

talking to the teachers!"

Parent

"Parents gained the skills

they needed to be more involved

with their children’s learning."

CETS Tutor

"I felt sad when the course ended but I’m determined to go on and do another course.

Getting the qualification makes you feel good, more confident."

Parent

"It’s great being able to do things

to better myself while my 3 year

old daughter is properly cared for

in a crèche"

Parent

"The course has helped me to

realise that I am not the

only one who has problems

with the English Language"

Parent

"It’s really rewarding to watch the changes in the parent’s confidence

and levels of interest"

CETS tutor

"The parents know we’re human beings now!"

Wolsey

"Parents generally feel they have a better understanding

of the school as an organisation"

Head Teacher

"Parents are definitely more effective in the support they provide to their children,

better able to help their children with homework"

Teacher

"Is it Tuesday yet because that is the day you can come and be my teacher?"

Child

"Once we got going I didn’t want to miss a single thing."

Parent

"It’s been extremely valuable for parents and children"

Children’s teacher

"The quality of teaching

has been excellent"

Head Teacher

"My child talks so much more now to everyone and wants to join in everything."

Parent

"It’s nice to spend quality time with my five year old"

Parent