““220 Fatal Accidents”220 Fatal Accidents”A literacies A literacies perspective on adult perspective on adult numeracy classroomsnumeracy classrooms

Helen OughtonUniversity of Bolton

Viewing notes – Viewing notes – Important!Important!Sound clips

◦To protect participant anonymity and confidentiality, the sound clips of learner discussion played at the conference cannot be published on the web. However, transcripts of the discussion can be found on the accompanying handout.

Animated slides◦Some slides in this presentation are

animated; therefore it is best viewed in SlideShow mode (rather than Normal (editing) mode)

About the researchAbout the researchHow can numeracy learning be made

more relevant to adult learners’ lives?

Audio-recorded and analysed naturally-occurring classroom discourse◦Learners working together to solve maths

problems◦How do learners relate classroom

activities to out-of-classroom practices?

MethodologyMethodology

Linguistic ethnographyNaturalistic data?

◦ Mobile phones as recording devices

◦ Learners intensely engaged in maths activities (Labov 1972)

11 hours of learner discussion recorded and transcribed

Fieldnotes to record gesture and other non-auditory interaction

MethodologyMethodology

Setting and participantsSetting and participantsWeekly numeracy classes

◦ Local authority adult education service18 participating learners

◦ Majority female, white-British, aged 20-60 years

Aiming for Adult Numeracy Level 1 and 2 qualifications

No intervention in usual classroom activities

Setting and participantsSetting and participants

Classroom Activities and Classroom Activities and Discussions…Discussions…

Episode 1: “220 Fatal Episode 1: “220 Fatal Accidents”Accidents”

*** See Transcipt Extract 1 *** Phrase “fatal accidents” read aloud 3 times Paraphrased by Ruth in line 1 No reference to tragedy of these incidents (c.f.

next slide) Recognise that 11/44 is an unlikely answer

◦ “Rules” of word problems Mutual support Resolution of right answer

Episode 1: “220 Fatal Episode 1: “220 Fatal Accidents”Accidents”

HSE Press Release (HSE HSE Press Release (HSE 2005)2005)

“enormous personal tragedies involving unexpected loss of family and friends”

Episode 2: Mean WagesEpisode 2: Mean Wages

Episode 2: Mean WagesEpisode 2: Mean WagesCards distributed randomlyNo job titles specified by cards or teacher*** See Transcript Extract 2a ***Spontaneous role playMock derision: “Miss Moneybags”Critical response: “I wouldn’t know what to

do with it anyway”*** See Transcript Extract 2b ***No pre-defined answer

◦ Answer is messy (as in real-life)Knowing laughter (line 10)

Why didn’t students Why didn’t students respond to context in respond to context in Episode 1?Episode 1?

Why didn’t students Why didn’t students respond to “context” in respond to “context” in Episode 1?Episode 1?

Context in which students Context in which students are practicing numeracy?are practicing numeracy?

Turning a social practice lens Turning a social practice lens on the classroomon the classroomClassroom mathematics shown not to

reflect everyday numeracy practices◦ (e.g. Carraher et al 1985; Saxe 1988; Lave 1988; Nunes

et al1993; Johnston et al1997; FitzSimons 2005)

Social practice models of numeracy◦ (e.g. Baker 1998; Johnston and Yasukawa 2001; Street et

al 2005)

◦Have focused on mismatch between classroom mathematics and everyday numeracy practices

◦Not on practices of the classroom itself

Classroom context from a social Classroom context from a social practice perspectivepractice perspectivePhysical setting

◦ Dedicated classroom surrounded by educational resources

Historically and socially situated◦ Skills for Life – curriculum, qualifications, targets◦ Relationships with other learners and with teacher◦ Cultural capital associated with success in

mathematics◦ Mathematics qualifications gateway to employment◦ Own history of schooling

Social purposes – long term◦ To obtain qualification ◦ To help children with school work◦ For personal fulfilment

Social purposes – short term◦ To get the answer on the answer sheet◦ To support each other in solving the problem◦ Not to investigate safety in construction industry

Draws on Chouliakari and Fairclough (1999); Street, Baker and Tomlin (2005); Barton and

Hamilton (1998; 2000)

Why didn’t students Why didn’t students respond to “context” in respond to “context” in Episode 1?Episode 1?

How can we use this to make classroom activity more

meaningful to adult learners?

Why Why diddid students students respond to “context” in respond to “context” in Episode Episode 22??

Episode 1: Episode 1: Skills for Life Skills for Life context context reinforcedreinforced by materiality and by materiality and mediation of worksheet? mediation of worksheet? A4 photocopied worksheet – associated

with educationLabelled as “Level 2” Answers available overleafClassic 3 part word problems (see below)Mediation by teacher in terms of exam

preparation (see below)All serves to reinforce learners’

expectations about how they should respond?

Mediated by teacher in Mediated by teacher in terms of exam preparationterms of exam preparation

Teacher: Right, the sheets I’ve got I’ve got quite a lot of different ones really here...Do level two if you thinkHave a go at level two questionsCos it’s coming up in two weeks time

Episode 2: Episode 2: Skills for Life Skills for Life context context disrupted disrupted by materiality and by materiality and mediation of cards? mediation of cards? Mediation by teacher:

◦Creates conditional/subjunctive mood ◦First and second person pronouns (c.f.

Palm 2008)◦Random distribution of cards

Physical possession of card? (c.f. Kress et al 2001)

No previously known “right answer”Disrupts learners’ expectations

about how they should respond?

To summarise...To summarise...Conventional worksheets

Card activity

Strongly associated by learners with an accepted set of classroom practices

Reinforces learners’ expectations of how they should respond?

Mediation by teacher

Materiality / physical possession of card

Disrupts learners’ expectations of how they should respond?