I have started to give numeracy lessons at a charity that helps rehabilitate alcoholics and other drug users. It is a few hours a week, and most of the people I work with have little or no education to speak of. Some do not know odd from even. Many had no formal secondary school education. Things like fractions, decimals, percentages are completely unknown to them,
But most have pretty good mental arithmetic skills, and they also have knowledge and know how to use decimals (they can add up a bill for example) without even knowing it.
They only come to see me if they are interested, so they have all been enthusiastic, and by and large it has been a pleasure to teach them.
I was doing measurement with a chap last week. Temperature - not very good. Length - not very good. Liquid measurement - not very good. Weights - absolutely bloody brilliant. Kilograms, grams, and suddenly also fractions were making complete sense to him. Quarters, eighths, sixteenths etc no problem
"How come you're so good at weights?"
"Oh this is old stuff. Had to know all this for measuring out the heroin for my customers."
...and do you have a nectar card?
No comments:
Post a Comment