About Numeracy for All

The Numeracy for All communities of practice highlighted on this site have been coordinated and supported through the Central Alberta Regional Consortia (CARC) as part of the Alberta Regional Professional Learning Consortia. This work was done in collaboration with Alberta Education.

The Numeracy for All communities of practice provided an opportunity for teachers to work together, to share ideas, to explore numeracy resources, strategies, and what kind of numeracy instruction would make a difference for their students.

The goals of the Numeracy for All communities of practice were to:

– enhance the capacity of participating teachers in mathematics instruction and numeracy development for Grades 1 to 12 students with significant cognitive disabilities

– create a provincial community of practice to explore the effectiveness and appropriateness of the AbleNet Equals Mathematics teaching resource in the Alberta context.

Each year, different teachers participated in the community of practice and explored the AbleNet Equals Mathematics teaching resource and identified practices and strategies to support the mathematics and numeracy success of their students.

The AbleNet Equals Mathematics teaching resource was designed around the use of research-based math methodologies (including interactive manipulatives and graphic organizers for active engagement, hands-on experiences with multi-sensory activities and concrete manipulatives, real-world practice and application activities, and teacher modeling throughout lessons).

During each year of the community of practice, teachers asked tough questions, shifted their perceptions, explored solutions, and shared their experiences and expertise. Continuous reflection, use of strategies for robust data collection, and thoughtful data analysis helped teachers identify which specific practices made a positive difference for students, and which did not. As a result of this work together, much of the content on this web site has been co-developed with participants based on the work with their students.

To learn more about the resources and strategies used by teachers, please explore this web site which was built to capture and share learning experiences and stories of success!

To learn about a related community of practice, Literacy for All, please visit: http://www.literacyforallab.ca

WHO ARE STUDENTS WITH SIGNIFICANT COGNITIVE DISABILITIES?

Students with significant cognitive disabilities are individuals with unique learning needs and interests, who with the right supports at the right time, can participate in learning, benefit from literacy instruction, and contribute to the school community.

“Significant disabilities” describes specific characteristics that impact both cognitive ability and ability and opportunity to participate in and benefit from learning. Traditionally, significant disabilities were described on a continuum from moderate to severe. The following descriptor offers a snapshot of learning characteristics typical of students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Students with a significant cognitive disability:

  • have significant delays in most or all areas of development, as compared to same-age peers
  • can develop limited or basic communication skills and may require an alternate or augmented communication system
  • may be an emergent or early conventional reader/writer working to understand the functions of print and print conventions (the process of learning to read and write is a continuum that begins at birth – there are no prerequisites)
  • require adult guidance around basic routines and increased support when learning new routines or in novel situations
  • may require adult support for personal care and to participate in most activities
  • require modifications to most learning activities in order to participate in meaningful ways
  • may have associated disabilities including physical, sensory, medical and/or behavioural
  • can benefit from numeracy, literacy, and communication instruction and support.

COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE AT A GLANCE

Numeracy for All
Year 1 (2012 – 2013)
Elementary – Grades 1 – 6

Alberta Education, in collaboration with Central Alberta Regional Consortium (CARC), initiated a community of practice to enhance teacher capacity in mathematics instruction and numeracy development for Grade 1 to 6 students with significant cognitive disabilities. The AbleNet Equals mathematics teaching resource was explored as a resource to support mathematics instruction and numeracy development.

Numeracy for All
Year 2 (2013 – 2014)
Junior and Senior High – Grades 7 – 12

The Numeracy for All community of practice continued with teachers of students grades 7 to 12. The AbleNet Equals mathematics teaching resource was explored as a resource to support mathematics instruction and numeracy development for older students during this year.

Numeracy for All
Year 3 (2014 – 2015)
Elementary – Grades 1 – 6
Junior and Senior High – Grades 7 – 12

During this third year, there will be three communities of practice, one for teachers of Grades 1 to 6 students with significant cognitive disabilities, one for teachers of Grades 7 to 12 students and one for teachers of Grades 1 to 12 students. All three communities of practice will use the AbleNet Equals mathematics resource and build on the work of previous years.