Adult Numeracy Network upcoming events

Mathematics and Language: Recommendations for Equitable and Effective Math Instruction for Multilingual Learners (Forum for Equity in Elementary Mathematics Speaker Series) (29 Apr 2026)

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 23:00:00 GMT

BeCALM Benchmark Fractions: Curriculum For Beginning Math Learners (SABES Math & Numeracy PD Team) (6 May 2026)

Wed, 06 May 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Overview: Adults who are beginning math learners can sometimes find themselves left behind by HSE curriculum or stuck trying to memorize their way through calculations they don’t understand. BeCALM (Beginning Curriculum for Adults Learning Math) was designed to be a conceptually focused, cognitively rigorous curriculum that supports beginning math learners in developing math concepts and skills.

This 1.5-hour online workshop will introduce a curriculum specifically designed to help beginning-level math learners develop part-whole reasoning with benchmark fractions. This resource can be used for remote or in-person classes and includes a student packet, teacher’s guide, and other downloadable materials. Units include application activities in the context of financial literacy that integrate TSTM (Teaching Skills That Matter) identified skills.

Audience: This professional development activity/course is designed for ABE teachers teaching math at GLE levels 2-4 and administrators at all levels of math ability and comfort

Description: Benchmark fractions (and their decimal and percent equivalents) are fractions that are easy to visualize and calculate, such as one-half and one-fourth. Benchmark fractions are a powerful way to develop number sense in beginning math learners and give them a way to reason about other, less familiar fractions. During the workshop, you will be introduced to the materials in the BeCALM Benchmark Fractions packet and will hear recommendations for their use.

Download the BeCALM Benchmark Fraction materials here.

Note: Many of the math activities in this unit are adapted from EMPower Plus Using Benchmarks. They were adapted for beginning level learners and made accessible for remote teaching. The math content in this unit is designed for students with a math level GLE 2-4 (CCRSAE Math level A-B). The materials are also appropriate for students with limited literacy levels (Reading level GLE 2+).

Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this professional development activity/course, you will be able to:

Gain familiarity with the materials and some of the activities in the packet
Identify which fraction concepts are important for beginning math learners
Introduce part-whole reasoning with the benchmark fractions one-half and one-fourth
Use benchmark fractions and visual models, such as number lines and circle graphs, to estimate less-familiar fractions

Presenter / Facilitator: Jean Oviatt-Rothman

Learn more and REGISTER here

Supporting Women’s Participation in Adult Mathematics Learning: Insights and Reflections from an Action Research study in England (ALM seminar) (11 May 2026)

Mon, 11 May 2026 18:00:00 GMT

REGISTRATION LINK

Description: This presentation forms part of an Action Research project based in the Midlands region of England. The study explored the factors which impact women’s participation in mathematics learning, especially those from low income, disadvantaged and minority ethnic communities. It investigated the challenges they face in returning to formal education, and developed strategies to support and facilitate them to re-engage. Following an Action Research model, the study was conducted in three phases: Planning, intervention, and evaluation. In phase 1 we identified two areas in the city where enrolment on mathematics courses was very low. In phase 2, four workshops were organised in local primary schools inviting mothers, grandmothers and other family members, to take part in interactive mathematics activities and have a go at solving mathematical problems with their children. These workshops served multiple purposes such as providing information on adult education courses and promoting intergenerational and lifelong learning. Data was collected through two sets of focus group interviews (in phase 1 & 2) involving thirty-four participants. Phase 3 focused on data processing and the analysis of outcomes. In this presentation, I will share key findings from the study, and will also reflect on challenges that we faced as a research team during the project.

Speaker Biography

Dr Farhat Batool Syyeda is a lecturer and researcher in the School of Education, University of Leicester. She leads different modules on campus based and distance learning courses and supervises PhD students. Her research focuses on adult learning, identity construction, mathematics education, and teachers’ professional development. She has worked on various research projects as principal/co-investigator, including two recent studies funded by the British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants scheme. She has a strong interest in innovative and creative research methodologies, including visual methods, action research, ethnography, and narrative inquiry. Her doctoral research (Syyeda, 2021) adopted an ethnographic narrative approach to explore the learning journeys and identity development of female adult learners.

Website: https://le.ac.uk/people/farhat-syyeda
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhat-syyeda-13708a56/

ANN Instructional Routine Club #4 (13 May 2026)

Wed, 13 May 2026 19:00:00 GMT

The Adult Numeracy Network (ANN) website has a collection of math routines for adult math and numeracy classrooms. Visit https://adultnumeracynetwork.org/Instructional-Routines to explore the collection.

ANN is offering a series of hour-long introductions to some of the math routines from our collection.

Each session will focus on one math routine and will include:

a brief community builder
time to experience the routine as learners
time to reflect on how to use the routine in our classrooms.

If you are interested in joining us, please fill out this form:

https://forms.gle/BcqQyRGnbQR1TMem7

You will have a chance to vote for the routine you’d like us to explore at the meeting.