ETF MPP Construction and the Built Environment: Developing a sense of number - YouTube

COMMENTARY: These level 1 learners are studying for a qualification in plumbing.

They are developing their skills and confidence in using maths to help them progress further

through the course.

PRACTITIONER: At level 1 they're required to have 3 grade Es,

at level 2 it's grade Cs. And that's a big jump in a year.

They do get a little bit confused, they get concerned about the numbers and how important it is.

I try and impress upon them all that they must overcome the fear of failure,

to challenge themselves, to have an open debate, to check each other and to know that they

can work as a group. Because in construction, they are going to be working across different

construction areas. And really at the end, to know that they’re not going to make fools of themselves.

COMMENTARY: The session is an opportunity for learners to explore and think about the

maths that they will encounter as professional plumbers.

PRACTITIONER: Essentially the session today is the importance of understanding

measurements with water, encompass VAT to set up an invoice,

how much water physically costs, but most importantly, how much water weighs?

Because they tend to forget, that 1 litre of water will weigh 1 kilo, and if we've got a

tank in the loft that’s 1000 litres, that’s 1000 kilos. That’s half a car sitting

in the loft. They don’t always see that and it’s the importance for them to see

where they should place these tanks. So they do get stretched and challenged.

COMMENTARY: In this activity, the learners first have to calculate the volume

of a water tank. They then have to source an equivalent tank using catalogues

and online sites, to determine the price.

- and think about how VAT is calculated.

PRACTITIONER: Try it out and see what happens.

If you divide that up, you’ve got calculators, try and see what it works out at.

LEARNER 1: Divide it by 1000 PRACTITIONER: Divide it by 1000, okay?

LEARNER 2: 43233… PRACTITIONER: Write it down.

PRACTITIONER: Right. Now we’ve got a big figure.

PRACTITIONER: Yes LEARNER 2: Yes

PRACTITIONER: Is that going to hold 43,233 litres of water?

LEARNERS: No

PRACTITIONER: I often see with students… we’ve got this particular tank here that I know

is only going to hold circa 25 litres of water. They’ll tap figures into a calculator

and trust that the answer is correct. And they visibly see 450,000 litres and go,

'done it, that’s it, that’s the answer’.

For me, being in my old age and trying to get my old head on their young shoulders,

it's to estimate. It’s a fundamental rule. They must be able to think, slightly over

is a lot better than a lot over – because they're just going to end up getting the wrong sizes.

LEARNER 1: 43 point ...

PRACTITIONER: Now would you begin to see how many litres it's going to hold?

LEARNERS: Yes

PRACTITIONER: So that’s the point I was trying to get to you. You must be thinking...

You know, writing numbers on a calculator must be right... I’ve got all those figures

correct... but does it hold 43,000 litres of water?

PRACTITIONER: So you’ve got 43.4, so how did you get that figure into litres?

PRACTITIONER: What did you do? LEARNERS: Timesed it by 100

PRACTITIONER: Oh right so you converted it at the beginning.

That’s a different way to how these guys did it... okay...

COMMENTARY: To source an equivalent tank, the learners are having to convert

from litres to gallons.

LEARNER 3: I know, I think it's, 43.4 divided... LEARNER 4: by 4.5

LEARNER 3: equals 9.6… So then there’s, 9.6 gallons..

LEARNER 4: 10 gallon tank LEARNER 3: 10 gallon tank

LEARNER 1: So 1 gallon is 4.5? LEARNER 2: Yes, we’ve just worked it out, it’s 9 gallons

LEARNER 1: It’s 9 gallons? LEARNERS: Yes

LEARNER 1: So we need a 9 gallon tank? LEARNER 2: There’s no 9 gallons there.

LEARNER 1: What’s the closed to 9 gallons here?

PRACTITIONER: Who’s not heard of VAT? Anybody not know what it means?

PRACTITIONER: A good percentage of the room, never knew what VAT stood for.

So, again, it's drawing out, these are voting age students, they have to

understand that Value Added Tax is a part of everyday life. And then understanding

the actual amount of tax that is paid on the items that they're dealing with.

PRACTITIONER: So your figure was including VAT, which was how much?

LEARNER 3: £30... including VAT PRACTITIONER: Right.

PRACTITIONER: So you took off how much VAT then?

LEARNERS: 20% PRACTITIONER: And you got a figure of how much?

LEARNER 3: £23.99 PRACTITIONER: Is that right?

PRACTITIONER: Some learners have calculated VAT on a NET product,

and some have got a figure…and then we’re going to try and go back over

the calculations to see how they can come back off the VAT, and so on. Then what we’ll

do is we’ll challenge that other group members to see how they can work that out.

LEARNER 4: So 24.99, times by what? LEARNER 1 : You divide the entire number by 10,

and then times what you get by two. That's 20%

LEARNER 4: I divide by 5, and make it a lot easier. Instead of doing it by one way and then timesing it.

PRACTITIONER: It is important that they open up. They have to ask questions and be able

to also feel that they can challenge what I’m saying. I often lure them, I often say

‘well that’s not...’ and then they will argue back. Because I want them to be

confident in their answer.

PRACTITIONER: In front of you, you’ve all got three plastic tubes. Correct?

PRACTITIONER: If we remember, when we’re trying to calculate the volume of a cylinder….

PRACTITIONER: They leave school thinking they

don’t need to do maths anymore. They have to know that the maths that they’re doing

is part and parcel of what they’re required to do in the trade. And it’s only when we

bring the physical, when we put water in this stuff, that they begin to see where they’ve

gone right or gone wrong.

We have an amazing amount of people across

college, and not only in our own faculty, that are there to help us with maths.

I really think that maths is an issue for us as well at our age, we understand day to

day maths... I call it ‘street maths’ versus ‘school maths’. Currently, we need

to teach them school maths - I want to teach them street maths.

I want to get them to understand

that it's about estimation. But of course, to get it correct, the formulas have to be there.

PRACTITIONER: Is that about right?

LEARNER: It’s about right PRACTITIONER: Right so that works. Guestimation.

I also know that your pencil rubber on the end of your pencils – your HB2s. You know

you’ve got the bit of metal and the rubber? 22 millimetres. What size pipe do we use?

LEARNERS: 22 millimetres

PRACTITIONER: I don't need a ruler, I just know that's my inch.

PRACTITIONER: Certainly we had the benefit

of attending some training last year, to help us understand a bit more about maths,

and that has opened up a lot more across college, conversations. The functional skills and the

GCSEs that have changed this year, has meant that I’ve worked a lot closer with some

gentlemen within the faculty. Certainly from sharing good practice and different ideas.

I think we’re very fortunate here at Exeter

that we have the ability to talk to anybody across college, it’s one college, not one

faculty, twelve other faculties. It’s one college. That’s my own opinion for sure.