Adult Educators’ Experiences Promoting Numeracy for Family Learning

About This Session

Description

This session presents findings from implementing a family learning project and focuses on the experiences of 12 adult educators who designed and delivered a numeracy literacy training for parents and caretakers. Project findings include learning through dialogue, family learning, and essential components for successful project implementation.

Utilizing a PowerPoint, the presentation builds on existing literature, best practices to promote family learning, teaching examples, and the experiences of the adult educators who participated in the project. Conference attendees will discuss and reflect how to apply the concepts presented at the session. The goal is that they can use the new learning at their work settings right away (e.g., ESL, literacy, ABE, family literacy programs).

Numeracy enhances adult learners’ awareness and understanding of their own thought processes, preparing them to monitor and regulate self-directed learning. Adult learners with higher numeracy skills are more apt to be ready to undertake new learning experiences.

What we'll cover:

The conference presenters will describe the implementation of the family learning project and the different collaborations that took place between adult educators and local organizations (Hispanic Cultural Center, public library, local newspaper, local families). To illustrate lessons learned and numeracy literacy best practices so that the conference attendees can reflect and discuss how to implement a similar project in their literacy programs and communities.

Twelve community educators designed and delivered a numeracy literacy training for parents and caretakers. They studied the literature on numeracy literacy and examined examples of learning centers. These adult educators were responsible for the following activities:

Design a full lesson plan for each session,
Create the materials needed for the learning centers,
Teach numeracy concepts with local families in mind,
Run five hands-on activities at each learning center,
Keep in mind children’s attention span by preparing a variety of 5–10-minute activities,
Have parents practicing the activities so they can also do them at home, and
Provide extra resources (handouts) for parents to take home.

In this context a learning center refers to the process of acquiring new skills and knowledge, through experience, study, and teaching. The learning centers included interactive learning materials, dialogue, and hands-on activities for family members and their children. The learning centers were set up at the local Hispanic learning center, outside in the backyard, under a big blue tent. It was springtime and the weather was cool enough to be outside. This space allowed us to use big rugs and pillows, draw on the floor with chalk, and use blue painters’ tape to create charts and grids. Participants could run and hop, there was a feeling of freedom and festive time. The community educators wore comfortable clothes and offered a child-friendly environment. Nobody was worried about breaking anything or children getting hurt. Folding chairs and tables were available in case the adults wanted to sit down. All materials were set up at the children’s height.

The session presenters will bring pantry items to make them available at the session so that the conference attendees can create activities for teaching numeracy using these items. Thus, they will apply the concepts discussed during this conference session. Reflection questions and hands-on activities will allow the conference attendees to interact with the presenters and other colleagues to gain awareness/knowledge of concepts related to numeracy literacy, family learning, and dialogic learning. Adult educators can reflect on strategies they can share with adults so they can engage in family learning at home. Some examples of family learning strategies include creating family memory books, designating a day of the week for family reading night, and having a technology night where all ages participate.