Mathematics Workshops for Parents: An Example of Non-fomal Adult Education

The world of adult mathematics education presents itself as a mosaic when it comes to all the different shapes it may take on. Some of these differences are related to the approach and the motivation for learning mathematics (FitzSimons, 2007). One of these variations is the length of the experience, from a once-in-a-lifetime event to a college degree in mathematics, which implies several years. Another variation is that of the purpose for the course, may it be as part of a GED program, as part of a vocational training, or to learn about home finances, to mention a few. One could be required to take a course in mathematics to advance in one's career, as in a training program at work, one may attend a talk in mathematics for the fun of it, or to understand what your children learn in school these days. Safford-Ramus (2008) presents a list of different instructional settings of adult mathematics education, such as basic education, secondary, undergraduate, prison, military, workplace, and more. Within all these variations, we place initiatives for adults learning mathematics on a scale from informal to formal models. In the one extreme, we have those sporadic events that may occur as part of a science fair at one's child's school, such as a short presentation on the concept of zero according to the Mayans. This experience is not structured with a follow up on number systems series of lessons or anything else, you are not forced to attend, and your job is not in jeopardy for not going to this talk. On the other extreme, you have the regular school courses that you are expected to attend a few days per week, a few weeks a semester; do homework and take tests; receive grades; and eventually will lead to a degree that has social or professional recognition. Between these two extremes, we have a model of adult education in non formal settings. In the context of adult education on agricultural issues, Etllng (1993) defines the term nonformal, citing Kleis (1973, p. 6), as "any intentional and systematic educational enterprise (usually outside of traditional schooling) in which content is adapted to the unique needs of the students (or unique situations)" (p. 73). Kalantzis (n.d.) defines semi formal learning as follows: Semi-formal learning involves partially institutionalized settings focused on particular life or workplace learning. It generally does not involve accreditation but aligns with learner's aspirations. Indeed the idea of self-directed learning became an important feature of adult education, particularly in relation to workplace and community learning (p. 2). In the context of the mathematics workshops around which our work takes place, what we refer to as nonformal education is the type of education that is systematic, not for accreditation or promotion, adapted to the unique situation of the participants, of voluntary attendance, and relatively flexible structure (Menendez & Civil, 2009). In this article, we share our experiences facilitating a series of mathematics for parents' workshops (MFP) throughout two and a half years and address the structure, history and development of these workshops. We then analyze how this experiment fits the concept of nonformal adult education and conclude with our assessment of the pros and cons of our implementation, as well as recommendations for future initiatives. Mathematics Workshops Our work with parents is modeled after our prior experiences with Latino/a parents and mathematics and, in particular, we structured these workshops as "Tertulias Matematicas" (Mathematical Circles) (Bratton, Quintos, & Civil, 2004; Quintos, Bratton, & Civil, 2005). The word "tertulia" connotes the image of a group of people who gets together regularly to talk about different topics (e.g., discussing a book). This is the flavor that we seek to develop in our workshops. Description and Evolution of the Workshop In the fall semester of 2006, we started to facilitate MFP workshops at a middle school in a predominantly Latino neighborhood in a borderland city of the Southwestern United States. …