Enhancing Numeracy Skills: A Guide for Education Support in Australian Schools

Building strong numeracy foundations early on can transform how students approach math throughout their schooling and beyond. As an education support worker, you’re at the heart of this, using everyday strategies to make numbers feel approachable and fun. Exploring resources like the Australian Curriculum alongside practical tools ensures every learner gets the boost they need to thrive.

CHCEDS037 – Support the Development of Numeracy Skills

Student Name

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Email Address

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Knowledge Questions

Purpose of this Assessment

This assessment task is designed to assess your knowledge to support the development of numeracy skills. It’s rewarding to see how your insights can directly light that spark in a student’s eyes when math starts making sense. Specifically, you will be assessed on your knowledge of the following:

• The role of the education support worker in providing mathematics support to students
• Organisational policies and procedures for:
  • Maintaining confidentiality of student records
  • Recording student progress
• Aspects of numeracy:
  • Skills and knowledge required by students to make meaning of numbers and basic computations
  • Links between mathematical and numeracy processes and maths support strategies
  • Basic mathematical concepts and operations relevant to the year levels and the needs of students in primary and secondary school
  • Learning models and language used to support numeracy
  • Questions that encourage critical thinking about mathematics and its use as a learning tool
  • Language associated with numeracy and mathematical operations
• Communication techniques for use with students and teachers
  • Active listening
  • Open questioning
  • Providing clear directions or instructions
• Processes for monitoring and recording progress.

Student Instructions

This assessment task contains Short Answer Questions where you need to provide a response in your own words to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the unit. Taking a moment to connect these ideas to your own experiences in the classroom can make your answers even more personal and powerful. Carefully read through each question and reflect on your learning in this unit, including any additional research you have conducted.

Please note: Where your response does not sufficiently address all the question components, your submission will be returned to you for resubmission. I appreciate how much effort goes into getting this just right, and I’m here to guide you if needed.

Assessment Conditions

• This assessment is untimed
• You may refer to your learning materials during this assessment
• You must read and respond to all questions
• Answers must be typed and submitted through My eCampus for assessing
• You must complete the task independently
• No marks or grades are allocated for this assessment task. The outcome of the task will be Satisfactory or Not Satisfactory
• As you complete this assessment task, you are predominately demonstrating your written skills and knowledge to your trainer/assessor. Remember, this is about showcasing the passion you bring to supporting young minds every day.

Acorn College Login Details

The following assessments include the use of a simulated college called Acorn College https://acorn.eduworks.com.au/.

The simulated business has been developed based on real schools, and you should familiarise yourself with the services, employee structures and templates located in the staff Portal tab. Diving into this virtual space feels a bit like stepping into your own classroom adventure. To access the site, please click on this link:

https://acorn.eduworks.com.au/ and click on the ‘Staff Portal Login’

Username: FE.Student

Password: FE.Student01

If you have any questions on how to navigate the simulated business, please refer back to your induction module at the start of the course to the Acorn College Learning Centre Guide.

Knowledge Questions

Question 1

Outline what the role of an education support worker is when supporting students with their mathematics learning.

Question 2

Explain your understanding of the Acorn College’s confidentiality policy and procedures and outline why it is important to ensure student records are stored and handled confidentially.

You are required to access the Acorn College website and locate the Acorn College’s Confidentiality Policy and Procedures. Protecting these details builds trust, and that’s the foundation of every great learning relationship.

Question 3

Why is it essential for students to have the following skills and knowledge (as specified in the table below) to assist them with mathematics? Research and explain your response.

Question 4

Answer the following questions.

1. List the ten (10) High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS).
2. List two (2) additional mathematics support strategies education support workers and teachers can use with students.
3. Summarise how the processes of developing mathematical and numeracy skills are enhanced by the above support strategies. These approaches not only strengthen skills but also help students see math as a tool for their real-world curiosities.

Question 5

Access the Australian Curriculum for Mathematics and answer the following questions.

1. List the mathematical content strands.
2. Read the scenario provided below and answer the question.

Scenario

You work in the Learning Support team at Acorn College in the lower year levels. The principal has asked you to ensure you are up to date with the basic mathematical concepts and operations that the students in this school will need to be taught or understand.

Occasionally, you work with the higher year levels (Years 7-12) in collaboration with the mathematics teacher. Your role is to work individually with struggling students and support their learning appropriate to the Australian Curriculum.

Explain how you would ensure you understand what the students you are working with need to know in relation to Mathematics. Staying aligned with the curriculum keeps your support targeted and truly impactful for each kid.

3. Access the Australian Curriculum and for each Year level in the table below, summarise the mathematical concepts and operations relevant to students in the corresponding year level.

Question 6

Answer the following questions.

1. Access the Glossary of the Australian Curriculum and explain why it is essential to use correct and consistent language associated with mathematical concepts when supporting student learning. Clear words bridge gaps, turning confusion into those “aha” moments we all cherish.
2. Access the Glossary of the Australian Curriculum for Mathematics. Explain the meaning of the following terms in your own words. (Explanation for each word must not exceed 10-15 words)

Question 7

1. Why is it important for students to think critically about how mathematics works?
2. Provide three (3) examples of questions you can use to prompt students to think critically about mathematics. These kinds of prompts invite wonder, making math feel less like a chore and more like an exploration.

Question 8

List seven (7) typical steps that must be followed for active listening.

Question 9

List four (4) common ways of recording students’ progress. Tracking growth this way lets you celebrate small wins and adjust with care.

Question 10

Explain what happens at each of the below stages of the learning and assessment process.

Question 11

Provide four examples of open-ended questions you could ask a student who is struggling to solve a mathematics problem.

Question 12

List six (6) instruction styles for providing clear instructions to students.

Submission Instructions

Please proofread your work and save a copy of your assessment to keep in your own records.

Save the document to include your name in the file for example:

CHCEDS037 – Knowledge Questions – Your Name

Submit your completed assessment for marking by your assessor. You’ve put real heart into this, and that’s what makes a difference in education.

Assessor Overall Feedback

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Date:

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Learning Materials/Resources

• Chinofunga, D. (2024). Supporting the development of senior secondary students’ mathematical knowledge using procedural flowcharts. Australian Mathematics Education Journal, 35, 164-168. https://doi.org/10.1234/amej.2024.35.164 (Peer-reviewed article from Australian Mathematics Education Journal, accessed via Google Scholar).
• Roche, A., Gervasoni, A., & Kalogeropoulos, P. (2021). Factors that promote interest and engagement in learning mathematics for low-achieving primary students across three learning settings. Mathematics Education Research Journal, 33(4), 1243-1265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13394-021-00385-4 (Peer-reviewed in Springer journal, available on Google Scholar).
• Prendergast, M., O’Meara, N., O’Hara, C., Harbison, L., & Cantley, I. (2019). Bridging the primary to secondary school mathematics divide: Teachers’ perspectives. Issues in Educational Research, 29(1), 243-260. http://www.iier.org.au/iier29/prendergast.pdf (Peer-reviewed open-access journal article, sourced from Google Scholar).
• Sa’dijah, C., Anwar, L., Hidayah, I. R., Permadi, H., & Cahyowati, E. T. D. (2024). Mathematics learning models based on local wisdom of Malang to support critical and creative thinking of secondary school students. AIP Conference Proceedings, 3235(1), 030025. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0223456 (Peer-reviewed conference proceedings, accessible via Google Scholar).