Numeracy for Teaching

This book is designed to help teacher-trainees prepare for the QTS (Qualified Teaching Standards) numeracy test that must now be passed by all entrants to the teaching profession. The author focuses especially on weaknesses in numeracy often observed in adults, and in teacher-trainees in particular. As far as possible, this mathematics is set in the professional context of teaching, drawing on statistics and other data from individual schools, the DfEE and the QCA.Teachers, in all phases and in all subject areas, should be able to make decisions and judgements based on numerical information with confidence and a reasonable level of accuracy. This book will to help teacher-trainees and teachers to handle the mathematics involved, to make sense of the numbers and not to be misled by those who credit the numerical data with unjustified significance.The book consists of 62 check-ups, each focusing on a specific aspect of numeracy in the context of teaching. These enable the reader to revisit and practise skills and concepts from their past, to rehearse them in the professional context of teaching today, and to understand what is going on when they are manipulating and interpreting numerical data.The material has been extensively trialled and evaluated very positively by the author’s own students.Comments from authors students:`The book is excellent. I think it will present students and others with a valuable resource, not only to help with the QTS test, but also for teaching. I could see myself using it on a dip-in-as-necessary basis``The practice questions were really helpful for checking and consolidating learning. The material was useful for the QTS test, particularly the mental calculations. Many thanks for letting me work through your sample material. I cannot begin to tell you how much more I have learnt! This has definitely made me feel more confident about passing the QTS numeracy skills test!I have definitely demonstrated to myself from this material that my ability to complete calculations mentally has increased. I can calculate faster and with some accuracy now!’`I passed the QTS numeracy test last week after studying this material!’