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Number booklet coverDuring April 2008 Brombacher and Associates ran a four-day workshop for FET College lecturers on the assessment and remediation of the pre-requisite knowledge and skills assumed to be necessary for students to be able to study Mathematical Literacy. The workshop, presented by Aarnout Brombacher and Marc North,was attended by one lecturer from each of the 50 FET Colleges. The workshop focussed on the use of pre-tests to determine the knowledge and skills that college students have at the start of the programme and on the teaching of the necessary knowledge and skills in those cases where the students do not have these. Click on the "read more" link below to access the pre-test and remediation materials developed for the workshop as well as the powerpoint slide shows that supported the teaching these could be used by college lecturers in their remediation efforts. Downloads: Handout (44 pages): Numbers (download) o Presentation: Order of operations (download) o Presentation: Percentage (download) o Presentation: Ratio (download) o Presentation: Proportion (download) o Presentation: Rate (download) Handout (40 pages): Patterns and Relationships (download) Handout (11 pages): Space, Shape and Orientation (download)

In this activity, students conduct an investigation to determine the rate of change in the popping of microwave popcorn. Four volunteers will estimate the time in the popping process where the rate of change is at 5 chosen levels. Other students will collect data on number of pops during consecutive 5 second time periods and draw histograms. Students will understand the approximate normal curve for a real data set and the relationship between the rate of popping and the shape of the distribution. This activity also provides an opportunity for students to understand human errors in data collection because not everyone will have the same number of frequencies in the corresponding classes of their histograms.

In this activity, students conduct an investigation to determine the rate of change in the popping of microwave popcorn. Four volunteers will estimate the time in the popping process where the rate of change is at 5 chosen levels. Other students will collect data on number of pops during consecutive 5 second time periods and draw histograms. Students will understand the approximate normal curve for a real data set and the relationship between the rate of popping and the shape of the distribution. This activity also provides an opportunity for students to understand human errors in data collection because not everyone will have the same number of frequencies in the corresponding classes of their histograms.

This article deals with an intervention unit which focused on the positive effect of integrating poems, stories and fables (the literary genre) for improving mathematical language, fostering the teaching of mathematics language, increasing satisfaction with the process and strengthening the relationship between use of daily language and mathematics language. The study was conducted amongst pre-service mathematics teachers, specialising in literacy activities designed to foster mathematics language.

"Online social network sites like Facebook and Twitter became common destinations for young people. Throughout the world, young people are logging in, creating elaborate profiles, publicly articulating their relationships with other participants, and writing extensive comments back and forth. South Africa was not left behind and Facebook became increasingly popular amongst people of all ages. Figure 1 below gives a summary of the total number of Facebook users in South Africa from March 2011 to July 2011. Study Figure 2.1 and answer the questions that follow:"

My goal is to explore the relationship between Mathematics and "mathematical literacy" in a way that might encourage a more critical analysis of the many appealing, but often rather vague, claims made by the advocates of "mathematical literacy" (aka "functional mathematics"). My focus is on school mathematics in England - though there are good reasons for believing that similar observations apply elsewhere.

Numbers,  Order of Operations Patterns and Relationships Percentage Proportion Rate Ratio Space, Shape and Orientation