Document Type

Article

Disciplines

1.1 MATHEMATICS, 5.3 EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

Publication Details

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03323315.2023.2209854

Prendergast, M., Forster, A. & O'Meary, N. (2023). Numeracy-Meets: an innovative professional development model for adult numeracy practitioners in Ireland. Irish Educational Studies.

https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2023.2209854

Abstract

Despite the clear and obvious need for adults to be proficient in numeracy, international studies suggest that many continue to struggle in this area. In Ireland, one of the main challenges continues to be the availability of effective adult numeracy education. This is a diverse sector, and little is known about the varied provision of adult numeracy courses and of those who teach on them. Recent research has highlighted an unmet demand for the professional development of adult numeracy practitioners with many looking for opportunities to network and further develop their practice. This study aimed to design, implement and evaluate a professional development model that supported adult numeracy practitioners in developing the necessary skills to support their students. After an initial needs analysis, a series of six ‘Numeracy-Meets’ were designed and implemented between February and May 2022. There was an average of twenty adult numeracy practitioners in attendance at each Numeracy-Meet. After all the Numeracy-Meets had taken place, five practitioners took part in individual semi-structured interviews to evaluate their experiences. This paper details the design, implementation and evaluation of these Numeracy-Meets and discusses whether they are a sustainable model of professional development for adult numeracy practitioners.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/03323315.2023.2209854

Funder

This work was supported by Irish Research Council: [Grant Number New Foundations 2021].

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

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