Colleagues from NHS North West provided a poster and cards to promote sn@p - standardised numeracy assessment process - a set of freely available open-source materials to promote numeracy in healthcare. Full details at www.snap.nhs.uk .
Please contact the project directly for further information.
Sunday, 18 March 2012
Embedding numeracy
Bob Read, of ACER, outlined the philosophy of embedding literacy and numeracy skills within the curriculum in FE and HE. He is currently working with the University of Essex to develop models for this within Health and Social Care.
Please add a comment if you have strong views about embedded versus stand-alone approaches to teaching numeracy in vocational contexts such as nursing, or contact Bob directly if you wish to follow up any aspect of his presentation.
Please add a comment if you have strong views about embedded versus stand-alone approaches to teaching numeracy in vocational contexts such as nursing, or contact Bob directly if you wish to follow up any aspect of his presentation.
Dyscalculia
Simon Drew (Loughborough University) described the implications of dyscalculia. His recent research indicates that subjects allied to Health exhibit a particularly high number of students with this learning difference. A commercial online initial screening tool, DyscalculiUM, is available that can help identify dysclacuia in adults (click here for details).
Simon would be keen to hear directly from anyone who knows of nursing or midwifery students who are diagnosed with dyscalculia and who would be willing to take part in his doctoral research.
Otherwise, please comment here if you have any insights or experience with dyscalculia and strategies to overcome this relating to drug dose calculations.
Simon would be keen to hear directly from anyone who knows of nursing or midwifery students who are diagnosed with dyscalculia and who would be willing to take part in his doctoral research.
Otherwise, please comment here if you have any insights or experience with dyscalculia and strategies to overcome this relating to drug dose calculations.
Computer aided assessment of calculation skills
Martin Greenhow (Brunel University) has been involved in computer aided assessment in mathematics for many years, and outlined some key principles of the random generation of questions and contextualised automated marking. A structured bank of CAA questions (known as Maths E.G.) is available here, and when logging in to the Teacher Interface, you can create a virtually endless supply of randomly generated, self-marking, practice questions to issue to students (or colleagues) following a specific topic or structure.
Martin's team have been allocated STEM funding to extend the question bank to include questions relating to nursing calculations. Watch this space!
Martin's team have been allocated STEM funding to extend the question bank to include questions relating to nursing calculations. Watch this space!
Number skills resources on OU LabSpace
Patrick Saintas (University of Brighton) informed us of the work he had done to develop and collate learning materials to help health students with number skills. These materials have been posted on the Open University LabSpace website (click here).
Please post a comment here with any observations and feedback on this resource, or feel free to contact Patrick directly regarding the further development of these materials.
Please post a comment here with any observations and feedback on this resource, or feel free to contact Patrick directly regarding the further development of these materials.
Textbooks for nursing calculations
Two textbook authors were present at this event:
Larry Krause (London South Bank University), who co-authored "Passing calculation tests for nursing students" with Susan Starkings, explained how his work with students as a maths support tutor resulted in an informal, pragmatic style for their book. Click here for details on Amazon.
The new book by Kerri Wright (University of Greenwich) "Drug calculations for nurses: context for practice" is informed by her substantial research in this field. Click here for details on Amazon.
What textbooks do you use, and why? Please post a comment.
Larry Krause (London South Bank University), who co-authored "Passing calculation tests for nursing students" with Susan Starkings, explained how his work with students as a maths support tutor resulted in an informal, pragmatic style for their book. Click here for details on Amazon.
The new book by Kerri Wright (University of Greenwich) "Drug calculations for nurses: context for practice" is informed by her substantial research in this field. Click here for details on Amazon.
What textbooks do you use, and why? Please post a comment.
Authentic World
Keith Weeks and Lester Lewis from the company Authentic World Ltd demonstrated their commercial software package (SafeMedicate) which is designed to develop and assess the competencies required for safe medication dosage calculation. Full details at www.authenticworld.co.uk
This program was already being used by some delegates, who claimed it significantly improved their students' success rates. Please add a comment if you have any particular experience (positive or negative), and feel free to contact Lester directly with any queries about the product and its licensing: lester@authenticworld.co.uk (mention you were at the sigma event!)
This program was already being used by some delegates, who claimed it significantly improved their students' success rates. Please add a comment if you have any particular experience (positive or negative), and feel free to contact Lester directly with any queries about the product and its licensing: lester@authenticworld.co.uk (mention you were at the sigma event!)
The "issue" of nursing maths
Kerri Wright (University of Greenwich) gave an authoritative overview of real and perceived "issues" relating to the mathematical competency of nurses, in particular drug calculations. Kerri has researched and published widely in this area. A quick search using Google Scholar with keywords "kerri wright nursing" will quickly find many of her papers - or click here to start.
Another excellent article I would recommend is:
Hoyles C, Noss R & Pozzi S (2001) Proportional Reasoning in Nursing Practice, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education Vol. 32, No. 1 (Jan., 2001), pp. 4-27 http://www.jstor.org/stable/749619
Please add a comment if you wish to discuss the above papers, or if you can recommend any others.
Another excellent article I would recommend is:
Hoyles C, Noss R & Pozzi S (2001) Proportional Reasoning in Nursing Practice, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education Vol. 32, No. 1 (Jan., 2001), pp. 4-27 http://www.jstor.org/stable/749619
Please add a comment if you wish to discuss the above papers, or if you can recommend any others.
Competency standards
In her introduction to the day, Carol Smith (University Campus Suffolk) referred to the Standards for pre-registration nursing education issued by the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC, 2010). Click here to go to the document. Searching the pdf file for words such as "numeracy" and "calculation" will make it clear how mathematical skills are implied within the new "Essential Skills Clusters".
Please add a comment if you can contribute any other examples of guidelines relating to mathematical competency for nurses and midwives.
Please add a comment if you can contribute any other examples of guidelines relating to mathematical competency for nurses and midwives.
Friday, 16 March 2012
Welcome!
nursingmaths.blogspot.com is a blog set up following the sigma network event "Maths Support for Nursing and Midwifery Students" held at University Campus Suffolk on 16th March 2012.
Over 50 delegates (maths support tutors, nursing lecturers, clinical practitioners and students) shared insights, experiences and ideas around how calculation skills can best be taught and assessed.This blog provides links to resources mentioned at the meeting, and invites participants to respond with further ideas, comments and feedback.
David
Over 50 delegates (maths support tutors, nursing lecturers, clinical practitioners and students) shared insights, experiences and ideas around how calculation skills can best be taught and assessed.This blog provides links to resources mentioned at the meeting, and invites participants to respond with further ideas, comments and feedback.
David
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