LLUK Numeracy English - Website
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Lifelong Learning UK
Introduction Personal skills in Mathematics
The application of the standards
The application of the professional standards for teachers who develop learners’ skills in numeracy/number details the knowledge, understanding and professional practice of these teachers. It does not detail required personal skills in Mathematics. Teachers who develop learners’ skills in numeracy/number should have the appropriate level of personal skills in Mathematics to teach effectively.
This document details the knowledge, understanding and professional practice required of teachers who develop learners’ skills in numeracy/number against the domains of the professional standards.
Use of terminology – numeracy/number This document details the knowledge, understanding and professional practice of all teachers who develop learners’ skills in numeracy/number. This will include, importantly, teachers of Numeracy (Basic Skills) and Number (Key Skills). The standards for Basic Skills and Key Skills are to be converged but the term to describe the converged standards is undecided at the time of writing (April 2008). In recognition of the important audience of this document, teachers of Basic and Key Skills, the term ‘numeracy/number’ has been used throughout the document. It is intended that when converged standards are named the title of this document will be reviewed.
Organisation of the document The new overarching professional standards for teachers, tutors and trainers in the lifelong learning sector in Wales detail the values, knowledge, understanding and professional practice expected of all teachers in the lifelong learning sector in Wales. This information is detailed in domains. The domains reflect the functions of the role. There are six domains:
Domain A: Professional values and practice Domain B: Learning and teaching Domain C: Specialist learning and teaching Domain D: Planning for learning Domain E: Assessment for learning Domain F: Access and progression
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An approach for developing the content of domains B and C had to be considered. In the generic standards, Domain B details teaching and learning in relation to all teachers. Domain C is concerned with a teacher’s area of specialism, whatever that may be. Developing an application of the professional standards for particular specialist teaching and learning, in this instance teachers who develop learners’ skills in numeracy/number, questioned the content of the two domains and how it would differ. After looking at the detail of the standards in domains B and C, the following approach was adopted: • professional practice, learning and teaching of
teachers who develop learners’ skills in numeracy/number to be detailed in Domain B • theory and knowledge related to developing learners’
skills in numeracy/number to be detailed in Domain C. These two domains should not be seen as sequential. Indeed, appropriate professional development programmes for teachers who develop learners’ skills in numeracy/number would be expected to deal with these aspects of knowledge, understanding and professional practice in a holistic fashion.