Assignment guidance Design or redesign a mathematics or numeracy programme and discuss the effectiveness of the course in providing inclusive learning opportunities for mathematics or numeracy learners. As educators we may often reflect upon our teaching context, or subject area and speculate how we would design or redesign a learning programme if we had a chance to do so. This assignment offers an opportunity for you to conceptualise, amend / design and plan a short course of at least 20 hours. The following are examples of possible themes for your course: • Employability / workplace / vocational mathematics / numeracy and IT • Financial literacy / capability • Numeracy and a leisure pursuit (eg kitchen design, cooking) • Number development within study skills • Family mathematics • Progression programmes such as Access and Pre Access • Developing problem solving in mathematics • A mixed level adult numeracy class You may use a course based on your current teaching situation and experiences or you may choose to conceptualise a totally new context. We advise that you choose a context with learners that you have some familiarity with. In order to complete this assignment you will need to produce the following: • A referenced rationale of the design of the proposed short course, or part of a longer course, which should demonstrate your understanding of inclusive learning. • An appendix including a course description and scheme of work (SOW) for a short course or part of a longer course. The rationale should justify your conceptualization of the short course that you are designing or redesigning. Specifically, it should comprise a review and analysis of curriculum models, pedagogy theory, theoretical perspectives from mathematics / adult numeracy education and approaches which reflect these. These should go together with a justification which explains why the course has been designed and planned and the extent to which the course promotes inclusive learning. Using at least one example, discuss different ways of representing or defining mathematical / numeracy concepts and discuss which representations might be effective within the theme you have chosen. Draw on your specialist knowledge of mathematics / numeracy pedagogy and teaching and learning theories to suggest one activity that you would use develop the numeracy concepts in your chosen context. Contrast this activity with an alternative approach. The activity could be one you have designed yourself or adapted from an appropriate source. You will need to describe the activity and the alternative approach in sufficient detail to demonstrate your pedagogic knowledge and application. Proposed structure of assignment 1. Introduction. Include an overview of the work with a brief discussion of the group involved, key elements that you will raise in the discussions and any procedural issues. 2. Rationale including a. Discussion of context of learning including environment and learners (for example the organisational context and type of learner group e.g. 14-19s, workplace, family learning, learning support for vocational course, financial capability etc). Include an identification of issues involved linked to the literature. For example you might consider how the course relates to the qualifications framework and how it contributes to learner progression and/or the role of resources and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) within your short course. b. Discussion of key elements to the course including rationale linked to theoretical perspectives, for example, any learning theories (generic and subject specific) and curriculum models that have influenced your decisions. Explain the appropriateness of the course for learners in that context, by referring to the cultural, social and economic context of the target group for the course. c. Discussion of how at least one mathematical / numeracy concept is intended to be developed and contrasted with how this may be achieved in another course. d. Discussion of the potential difficulties associated with the course (what might not work) particularly in relation to groups or individuals with identified characteristics. For example, you might consider issues relating to physical and learning disabilities, gender, social background, interests and experiences, or issues raised around language may need to be addressed and developed for different learners. 3. Reflection and conclusion a. Reflect on the process of designing / redesigning a course noting the various influences on your decisions. Based on your own thoughts and feedback from colleagues, your mentor and your tutor, analyse the process of course design in the light of your developing understanding of learning contexts, mathematics and numeracy learning theories and inclusive practice. Make note of key moments that influenced your thinking and why you changed any planning. This is likely to include thoughts from the table top presentations during the module. If you engaged in online discussion in which you shared emerging ideas about the critique, conceptualisation, design or planning of the short course, you could refer to the impact of this on your thinking. b. Conclusion. Include a reflection on the learning gained from undertaking this assignment and implications for your practice. At the end of the assignment (not included in the word count) include: • a reference list / bibliography of the sources you used, using the Harvard system of referencing (see course handbook) • an appendix including the course description and scheme of work