NUMERACY FOR LIFE
ABOUT:
The Functional Maths program at the Aldridge Learning Enhancement Centre endeavours to give students insight into how maths is used to solve everyday problems in living and working situations. Students learn to reflect on the value of money and the cost of common endeavours such as holidays and projects. In functional maths there is still a focus on practicing basic skills as developed in modified maths with an overlay of topic based curriculum . Students are engaged with explicit learning experiences, problem solving and planning, and interpreting data.
At the Aldridge Learning Enhancement Centre:
Functional Maths is offered to all students with disabilities from Year 10 to Year 12 in the Aldridge Learning Enhancement Centre. Students engaged in this curriculum will not attain a QCE but will be awarded a QCIA on completion of year 12. Classes are of combined year levels in a manner that still keeps class sizes small and with the inclusion of teacher aids to assist students to enhance their numeracy skills.
Why study Functional Maths?
The Modified Maths curriculum helps students to engage positively with numeracy skills and real life problem solving. The smaller class sizes and presence of additional support staff enhances individualised attention and monitoring, as well as creating a less disruptive or distracting learning environment. Provision of heavily-scaffolded formative and summative assessment tools also assists students to complete tasks successfully and with minimised anxiety.
Facilities and Equipment:
Students in Functional Maths utilise their own BYOx devices. Laptops are used extensively to access on-line learning recourses such as IXL as provided by the school and to do research for learning and assessment activities . Also available to assist the student are the Sound Fields speaker system, sensory room, Equine Assisted Learning program, Therapy Dogs, teacher aide support and visiting advisory consultants (eg Speech Language Therapist). Use of specific assistive technology and personnel is determined by the individual disabilities of the students.
Units of study:
| Topic
|
Term 1
| Counting Money , Purchase calculationsStudents practice counting coins and notes . Worksheets on counting money and shopping. Calculation of totals and change. Number facts are practiced and used.
|
| Term 2 | Time and TravellingTelling the time from analogue clocks . Time calculations . Timetabling for transport. |
| Term 3 | Perimeter and AreaPerimeter and area of simple shapes and simple compound shapes Budgeting and Percentages Budgeting for routine costs such as house keeping , running a car and repaying a loan Introduction to “Moneysmart" website |
| Term 4 | Fractions and RatiosCommon fractions. Simple fraction calculations . Fractional parts of a whole. Fractions to decimal and percentages. Ratios and sharing, making a mixture . |
| Term 5 | Making money and saving moneyMoney , Earning money, percentages and Discounts in earning and shopping |
| Term 6 | Graphing and DataReading data from graphs. Producing graphs. Worksheets (Freefall, Macquarie) Finding the average and median value of a data set |
| Term 7 | Shapes and SolidsNaming shapes and solids. Forming solids from their nets. Calculating area , surface area and volume Freefall Worksheets |
| Term 8 | Renting a HouseMoney involved in renting a house. Rent calculations. Costs in starting a lease and running a home. (Use Access to Prevoc 2, Chapter 1) |
| Term 9 | Working around the HomeCosting projects including painting a room , making a garden, building a fence |
| Term 10 | Going for a holiday .Planning and costing a holiday and developing a savings plan to pay for it |
| Term 11 | Investigating loans and interest ratesAssessing the cost of loans. Use the Moneysmart website. |
| Term 12 | The Value of moneyInvestigating the exchange of international currencies . Investigating and the effect of inflation on prices and the value of money |
Pathways:
Functional Maths students gain the numeracy skills and knowledge to assist with common situations of the everyday living and working environment. Students doing Modified Maths in Years 7-9 may continue with Functional Numeracy in senior schooling. Students will generally finish with a QCIA certificate.
Teacher:
Mr Trevor Lidster and Mrs Dianne Higgins are currently the teachers coordinating the Functional Maths program within the Aldridge Learning Enhancement Centre. They are assisted in their roles by numerous teacher aides from the Learning Enhancement Centre, who support students in class .