Numeracy for all (VSO)

Marilyn Leask, Emma Goto, Mary Watkins, Richard Procter | View as single page | Feedback/Impact

Making teaching materials from local resources

The Numeracy for All booklet (freely downloadable on https://www.vsointernational.org/our-work/inclusive-education/numeracy-f...) was produced by an experienced teacher and VSO volunteer, Mary Watkins.

In 2014, Mary volunteered with VSO in Rwanda as a Methodology and Resources Advisor working at a teacher training college and in local schools. 

Teaching and learning resources were very limited and apart from a few stones and beans, children rarely used concrete materials during maths lessons. Consequently lessons were very teacher led/ “chalk and talk” and children learned by memorising procedures with very little understanding. They ‘do’ rather than understand maths. Students and teachers were keen to use teaching aids with the children but with no budget they could not afford to buy them or the raw materials to make them. 

Mary explored different ways of producing many resources from locally sourced, low cost and waste materials and worked with teachers and students showing them how to make and use the resources effectively.

In 2018 Mary returned to Rwanda again with VSO as part of the BLF project (Building Learning Foundations). Part of this programme is about improving the teaching and learning of maths in lower primary schools so once again the issue of resources and how to make them came up. Building on the experience of the first placement, Mary developed lots of resources for the teaching of maths. She  shared her ideas with fellow volunteers by writing a booklet. This booklet was then adapted and has become part of the BLF programme in Rwanda being used by the volunteers who are working with teachers to help them make and use teaching materials. 

The purpose of this resource is to provide guidance on how to make and use low / no cost teaching and learning aids. The resources are made from waste and locally resourced  materials so the cost of production is minimal. Although the booklet is written in a Rwandan context many of the ideas can easily be used in other countries as many of the waste/ locally sourced raw materials will be the same. There are lots of ideas for how to use each resource in multiple ways so they can be used over and over.

Step by step video guides and footage of the resources being used are also available to complement the booklet on the youtube MESHGuides Numeracy for all playlist.  

Subscribe if you want alerts as new videos are posted.

The booklet and videos cover Number and Place Value, Addition and Subtraction, Multiplication and Division, Fractions, Measuring and Shapes. 

The videos currently available are listed below.

NUMERACY FOR ALL
LOWER PRIMARY MATHEMATICS VIDEO LIST
Making and Using Resources from no-cost or low-cost resources

VIDEO LIST
 - please subscribe to the YouTube playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa35dKvXL0xL3WzGOWctNuctQEOkhcl84)  to receive updates as more videos become available.

Series 0 NUMERACY FOR ALL SERIES: LOWER PRIMARY MATHEMATICS - INTRODUCTION
0.1 Assessment (whole class)
0.2 Resource management
0.3 Developing understanding of number: concrete, pictorial, abstract
0.4 Teaching, learning, and pedagogy
0.5 Materials: what do you need?

Series 1 NUMBER AND PLACE VALUE
1A  Number and place value
1B Making place value teaching resources
1AB.1 Place value cards: using and making
1AB.2 Place value fan: using and making
1AB.3 The abacus: using and making
1AB.4 Place value blocks: using and making
1C Counting
1D Number bonds and sequencing
1E Number misconceptions
1F Misconceptions: Counting And number
1G Number lines for +,-, fractions, decimal fractions, negative numbers
1H Assessing learning with ‘show me’ number fans
1I Sequences and patterns 
1J Pattern recognition 

Series 2 ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION
2.1 Making dice
2.2 Games to reinforce learning: using the hundred square
2.3 More games to reinforce learning
2.4 Telling the time (analogue clocks)
2.5 Number lines/tracks: counting +,-,measuring
2.6 Telling the time: digital clocks

Series 3 MULTIPLICATION AND DIVISION
3.1 The four operations (+,-,x,÷): reinforcing learning
3.2 Times tables and mental arithmetic games
3.3 Multiplication and division practice cards
3.4 Mental maths (+,-,x,÷) using dice and the 100 square

Series 4 FRACTIONS

Series 5 MEASUREMENT
5.1 Measurement continued

Series 6 SHAPES (through dice games)
6.1 Reinforcing learning: +,-,x,÷, shapes, measures
6.2 Shape boards