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The Numeracy Team is committed to promoting the highest standards of excellence in creating a generation of student teachers who have the required competence to teach mathematics at Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. The tutors aim to help their students develop the insights, confidence, knowledge, skills and enjoyment of mathematics that are necessary to become effective teachers of mathematics. Our courses are regularly up-dated by reference to the most current educational initiatives in Northern Ireland and to research drawn from mathematics education and the wider curriculum.
Our BEd and PGCE courses emphasise the key areas of the Northern Ireland Curriculum including processes in mathematics, mental mathematics, number, calculation, measures, shape and space and handling data. Students are supported by experienced tutors who help them to develop an understanding of the pedagogy of teaching mathematics. We present students with opportunities to:
- understand and integrate mathematics in Connected Learning,
- examine the role of Structured Play in mathematical development,
- help children explore the sensible use of the calculator,
- appreciate the role of ICT and C2K initiatives in mathematics teaching
- integrate the interactive whiteboard in teaching and learning mathematics
The team enable their students to consider how thinking skills and problem solving initiatives impact on the teaching and learning of the subject. Students will learn that an integral part of effective teaching involves knowledge of the strategies used to assess children’s learning, linked to diagnosis and remediation of children’s difficulties in mathematics. We provide a wide range of high quality mathematical resources to stimulate our enquiry-based courses. Irish Medium students have opportunities to study the courses in the bilingual context.
In exploring how children learn mathematics, the Numeracy Team use a variety of teaching strategies throughout the course. These include lectures, workshops, independent and directed study, collaborative enquiry, school based research and design of innovative classroom resources for Mathematics. We promote students’ professional development by encouraging oral presentations, peer review and self evaluation. Drawing on the philosophy of reflective practice, students are encouraged to engage in self-evaluation of their professional competence in teaching mathematics.
As part of their commitment to the continuing professional development of teachers, members of the Numeracy Team are also involved in planning and delivering the college’s MEd programme. Our focus is on the area of Special Needs in Mathematics. This course regularly provides participants with a catalyst for dissertation study which is supervised by individual tutors from the team.
The team take pride in the standards achieved by our students both in college and on school-based work. This is further evidenced by the feedback we receive from colleagues in our Partnership Schools.
Team Leader: Mrs Siobhán O'Doherty
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