Supporting mathematics teaching through global learning

Looking for more mathematics resources? Using global issues gives pupils the opportunity to apply their learning in relevant contexts – supporting engagement and skills development. Here is a selection of free numeracy/maths resources from the Global Learning Programme (GLP) that can support your teaching:

• If the world were a village (Key Stage 2): imagines the world population as a village of 100 people as a concrete and accessible way of thinking about development, as well as a chance to work on fractions, ratio and percentages, and explore ways to present data in a range of graphic formats.
• Exploring the cost of a trainer (Key Stage 3): explores the global trade in trainers through dividing in a given ratio.
• Gender inequality (Key Stages 2 and 3): understand some patterns of gender inequality using data files and statistics. Log in or register for free to access this resource.
• Which food has most food miles? (Key Stage 2 and 3): develops pupils’ knowledge of food, and its production and impact on the environment, while supporting maths, geography, enquiry and critical thinking skills. Log in or register for free to access this resource.
•  Everyone counts (Key Stages 2 and 3): based on a resource from Oxfam Education, develops numeracy skills while exploring children’s lives from around the world.
• More or less equal (Key Stage 3): based on a resource from Oxfam Education, develops numeracy, geography and literacy skills while exploring data about children’s lives in different countries.

If your school isn't one of the thousands of schools in England already registered for the GLP and benefiting from the funding for CPD,* curriculum guidance and resources available, simply register your school today for free! But don’t delay − GLP-funded courses must be booked by 29 March 2018 and attended by 1 June 2018.

Additional resources and teaching ideas

Additional GLP-approved resources and guidance to support numeracy/maths teaching can be found via the following webpages:

• the GLP topic pages – including the ‘More or Less Equal’ resource on our Equality topic page that explores the effects of poverty on young people
• the Global Dimension website – including Live below the line Key Stage 2−3 resources based on a Think Global resource that explore food waste and poverty
• GLP case studies – including a film from Armathwaite Primary School in Cumbria.

GLP-approved CPD

You can use GLP funding* worth up to £500 to pay for attendance at a wide range of accredited CPD courses. Our CPD Calendar offers a variety of courses to help you incorporate global learning into your classes – including a wide selection of ‘flexible’ courses (which can be arranged for a time that suits you):

• Bring the world into maths aims to inspire a mathematical curiosity about the world. It will explain what a global citizenship approach to maths means and how it can benefit learners, teachers and the wider world. It will explore topics such as number, ratio and proportion, measurement and data handling through global learning.
• Mathematics and global learning aims to provide teachers with ideas and resources across the breadth of the mathematics curriculum – with specific focuses on water awareness and fair living.
• Global Maths and P4C aims to consider how Philosophy for Children can help children of all ages engage with maths, and how maths can help develop a more critical understanding of the world. It will also explore how to encourage a sense of enjoyment, excitement, wonder and awe about maths, touching on the history of the subject, discovering the global pathways that have led to our current maths curriculum.
• Global Maths aims to give practical examples and resource links that will excite pupils and save you time in looking for appropriate information for children to work with. It covers a wide range of topics and will compare the children’s daily lives with real examples from children in other parts of the world, using measurement of capacity, weight and time – so practically linking local to global.

*The GLP is funded by the UK government. All schools can join the programme, but funding is only available to Key Stages 2 and 3 in state schools in England. The deadline to book onto GLP-funded CPD is 29 March 2018, and courses must be attended by 1 June 2018. The GLP in England (GLP-E) is managed by a consortium of partners: Pearson (lead), Geographical Association, UCL Institute of Education, Oxfam UK, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), SSAT and Think Global.