Tom Renwick

Doing some early years learning with a balance machine, toys, golf ball and poker chips. Poker chips are great for arranging, counting, stacking (and then knocking over if young enough). The red bus is heavier than the yellow taxi, and, 4 poker chips are heavier than a golf ball.

I’m giving my first talk soon in seven years, to some 40 champion maths teachers in East Dumbarton, and decided to call it ‘The Visual Language of Numeracy’.

I’ve decided to give my first numeracy talk in the seven years since retiring, to all 40+ champion maths teachers in East Dumbarton, in November. Meanwhile I recently visited a school in Windhoek to hand over a Numeracy Map and a Wee Red Box, and to share techniques with classes.

The app for the Numeracy Map was recently made free for all three levels. I’ve since realised in order to access levels 2 and 3 you need to delete your older version of the App and then download the new version. Numeracy, let’s get excellent.

All three levels of the Numeracy Map are now FREE. Level 1 mainly suitable for P2/3/4 Level 2 mainly suitable for P4/5/6 Level 3 mainly suitable for P5/6/7 The mapping techniques stem from my researching alleviation strategies for dyscalculia (and beneficial for most learners).

When I visited classrooms I sometimes played a game using kids names and vowels as a context for %’s eg Jenny would be 1/5 or 20% vowel, and Samuel would be 3/6 or 50% vowel. I came across the name of a restaurant today, ‘Zaouia’, wow, that’s 5/6 or 83% vowel!

I’m calling this art piece ‘The DNA of Numeracy’, since calculations build on the numbers 1-9. When the light changes the piece also changes. I like how 7 oozes symmetry, despite it often being one of the more awkward numbers for early stage learners.

Sunak has implied Labour had started a ‘levelling up’ agenda, though apparently not with the same aim as the Tory version, which may be more of a ‘topping up’ for already well enough off communities. Meanwhile, here’s my first numeracy inspired painting, called ‘Ode to Numeracy’.

#WEURO2022 Worst possible start for the lionesses - not at all sure most of them would approve of the atmosphere engendered or values portrayed by the show.

The Numeracy Map is a direct outcome of my research into alleviation strategies for dyscalculia (one of three main strategies I identified). The App version simply brings the map digitally alive, showing journeys for add, subtract, multiply and divide.

At £10 it is expensive as apps go (though level 1 is free, with levels 2 and 3 then being in-app purchases). However it is hugely effective for the effective learning of numeracy, then, being good at numeracy = potentially better at maths.

Climate change deniers are correct when they say there’s been previous changes to climate. However, the problem with the current climate change is; * it is human made * the rate of change is SIGNIFICANTLY higher than for any previous climate change * the number of humans affected

The #numeracymap is all about journeys, arriving at destinations (for add, subtract and multiply) and steps needed to make the journey (for divide). The techniques are beneficial for visual learners, which happens to be most kids. Here’s the app doing journeys for the 5x table.

The terrible floods in Europe were caused by an estimated 150 litres of rainfall per square metre. Using a cubic metre, the string shows where the water level would have risen to, and then repeated over millions of other adjoining square metres. That’s pretty colossal.

I was recently contacted by a parent who thought their daughter might be dyscalculic (she’s already been diagnosed as dyslexic), and found my research notes on possible indicators helpful - “this is our daughter”….. Hopefully the alleviation strategies will also prove helpful!

Question for P7’s? Strawberry jam needs 750g of sugar for every 1kg of strawberries. However 1kg of both strawberries and sugar were mistakenly mixed together in the pan. What weight of strawberries now needs to be added to the pan to make the correct proportion?

The red ticks show the user has successfully completed all of level 1 of the Numeracy Map, and represent the skills which are ideal for a P4 pupil to have (possibly P3, perhaps P5) to have. Levels 2 and 3 then take the user onto good numeracy skills for P7, prior to secondary.

The app version of the Numeracy Map offers learning, practice and assessment of key numeracy skills, then, being good at numeracy = potentially better at maths. Here’s the content of the FREE 1st level, designed to help good attainment by the P4 stage.

Given the disruption to schooling the App for the Numeracy Map can offer both help and reassurance. Level 1 (free) is designed to represent the numeracy skills the learner should have by the end of their P4 with level 3 representing those the learner should have by the end of P7.

When a youngster colours in all the even numbers they can only then see the odd numbers, how nice is that?