Low-stakes, VLE intensive, formative approach to maths teaching as a pedagogic strategy for improving assessment outcomes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21100/compass.v15i2.1339Keywords:
VLE, numeracy, maths, formative assessment, maths anxietyAbstract
Functional numeracy skills in the UK workforce have been an issue for at least 20 years and are of mounting concern due to the increasing use of technology in the workplace and the need for mathematical problem solving skills. Surveys reveal anxiety related to maths (MA) has a negative impact on Higher Education (HE) subject choices and subsequent career options. This at a time when Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, requiring maths and data handling skills, are in high demand globally.This case study relates the journey from discovering the need for maths support in science students to the use of low-stakes, VLE intensive, formative maths support as a means of overcoming MA and improving student outcomes.References
Department for Business Innovation and Skills (2012) The 2011 Skills for Life Survey: A Survey of Literacy, Numeracy and ICT Levels in England, BIS Research Paper Number 81. London. Available at: www.BIS.gov.uk.
Grayson, R. (2013) Research summary – A brief review of employers’ views on numeracy. Cambridge. Available at: https://www.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/Images/131381-research-summary-a-brief-review-of-employers-views-on-numeracy.pdf.
Jobted (2021) The Science Industry: Jobs, Skills and Job Outlook, Jobted. Available at: https://uk.jobted.com/browse/scientific (Accessed: December 10, 2021).
Maths Anxiety Trust (2022a) Maths Anxiety Definition. Available at: http://mathsanxietytrust.com/ (Accessed: February 21, 2022).
Maths Anxiety Trust (2022b) Sue Johnston Wilder. Available at: http://mathsanxietytrust.com/johnston-wilder.html (Accessed: February 21, 2022).
Maths Anxiety Trust and Ipsos Mori (2018) What is maths anxiety? Available at: http://mathsanxietytrust.com/maths-anxiety.html (Accessed: February 21, 2022).
National Numeracy Charity (2022a) What is numeracy | National Numeracy. Available at: https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/what-numeracy (Accessed: January 26, 2022).
National Numeracy Charity (2022b) What is the issue? Available at: https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/what-numeracy/what-issue (Accessed: February 21, 2022).
National Numeracy, Ipsos Mori and KCL (2019) Numerate nation? What the UK thinks about numbers. Available at: https://www.nationalnumeracy.org.uk/news/national-numeracy-day-2019-thousands-take-first-step-towards-better-number-skills (Accessed: February 22, 2022).
OECD (2013) PISA 2012 Results: Ready to Learn: Students’ Engagement, Drive and Self-Beliefs (Volume III) PISA. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264201170-en.
OECD Publishing (2016) Equations and Inequalities MAKING MATHEMATICS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL. Paris. doi:10.1787/9789264258495-en.
Rozgonjuk, D. et al. (2020) “Mathematics anxiety among STEM and social sciences students: the roles of mathematics self-efficacy, and deep and surface approach to learning,†International Journal of STEM Education, 7(1), pp. 1–11. doi:10.1186/S40594-020-00246-Z/TABLES/2.
Top Hat (2022) Low-Stakes Testing Definition and Meaning. Available at: https://tophat.com/glossary/l/low-stakes-testing/ (Accessed: February 16, 2022).
Williams, J. et al. (2003) The Skills for Life survey: A national needs and impact survey of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills., Literacy. London.
Zacharopoulos, G., Sella, F. and Kadosh, R.C. (2021) “The impact of a lack of mathematical education on brain development and future attainment,†Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(24). doi:10.1073/PNAS.2013155118.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Compass: Journal of Learning & Teaching provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a more equitable global exchange of knowledge.
Â
Works are released under the default licence of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY) licence, which provides unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. If authors require a divergent licence, please contact [happy to have 'the Scholarly Communications Manager' (ks8035h@gre.ac.uk) listed here if that is easier.]
Â
Authors of articles published in Compass: Journal of Learning & Teaching remain the copyright holders to their published work and grant third parties the right to use, reproduce, and share the article according to terms of the Creative Commons license agreement applied to the work by Compass: Journal of Learning & Teaching.
Â
Self-archiving policy: authors are permitted, and encouraged, to deposit any version of their article - submitted, accepted, and published versions - in subject and institutional repositories at any time.Â
Â
If you have any queries about the choice of license, or which to discuss other options, please contact the Scholarly Communications Manager at scholarlycommunications@greenwich.ac.uk.