Entry 3 Functional Skills Maths – Methods and Language is divided into three chapters: Number, Using Common Measures, Shape and Space and Handling Information and Data.
The book follows each of the Subject Content Statements (SCSs) within the three units outlined in the Subject Content Mapping document, and for each, an explanation is given, followed by worked examples and contextualised practice questions etc. The focus on language has been developed as a result of classroom practice, teaching maths to adult groups which contain ESOL learners, and to ESOL (16 – 18) classes containing students from a wide variety of backgrounds with a wide range of language skills, in classes organised according to their level of English (bespoke maths for ESOL 16 – 18).
Entry 3 Functional Skills Maths – Methods and Language is special due to its focus on issues that many learners face in relation to methods and language. The learners in question (adults, and 16 – 18 year olds) study maths in a post-16 education environment, and struggle with the basics of numeracy e.g. adding decimals; subtracting when there is a need to exchange; multiplying whole numbers; division with a remainder/left over etc. and also struggle with reading and understanding what is being asked in maths questions. Many such learners will be studying on Functional Skills maths courses.
As well as focusing on clear methods, which many students will have struggled with in the past, the book focuses on language features pertinent to learners studying at Entry level 3, for example, interpreting comparatives and superlatives.
With an increasing number of ESOL learners studying maths at further education colleges (16 to 18-year-olds and adults) and not just inner-city ones, there is a demand for an entry-level functional skills maths resource, with a strong emphasis on language. Furthermore, although the majority of adult learners and 16 – 18 year olds entering post-16 education without a GCSE maths qualification are initially assessed at Level 1 or 2, anecdotal evidence is showing that there is a significant and increasing minority of students who are assessed at Entry Level, and not just ESOL learners.
The proposed audience for Entry 3 Functional Skills Maths – Methods and Language is all those adults and 16 – 18 years olds who have, for a variety of reasons, struggled with the basics, including the language used in maths, and are currently studying maths in a post-16 learning environment.
Entry 3 Functional Skills Maths – Methods and Language is priced at £11 and you can purchase it from Amazon
You can visit Kevin Norley’s homepage here
