The Adults Learning Mathematics - 33rd Annual Conference
Dates: June 29th – July 1st, 2026
Location: Oslo, Norway
ALM33 is a conference for researchers and teachers in the field of adults learning mathematics (16-years and older), including numeracy and mathematical literacy in contexts such as community education, vocational education, further education, technical and professional training, prison education, and the learning and use of mathematics in workplaces or adults’ everyday lives.
On Tuesday there will be a Nordic strand, with possibilities for workshops in either English, or Norwegian/Swedish/Danish, and is especially planned to be relevant and applicable for teachers.
Informasjon om konferansen på norsk for lærere fra Norden
ALM33 er en konferanse for forskere og lærere som er opptatt av voksne (16 år og aldre) som lærer og bruker matematikk og regning. Dette inkluderer læring og undervisning på fag- og yrkesfag på videregående nivå, matematikk i fengsel, matematikk i voksenopplæring, på forberedende opplæring for voksne (FOV), innenfor familien eller på andre «utradisjonelle» steder samt kompetanser en trenger i arbeidslivet og hverdagen.
Det er en internasjonal konferanse og mesteparten av innholdet vil være på engelsk. Tirsdag 30. juni er satt av til en mer praktisk dag for lærere og her vil det være paralleller på nordisk (norsk/svensk/dansk. Vi håper du vil delta og også dele noe i en slik parallellsesjon. Vi har redusert pris om du vil delta på kun tirsdagen.
Conference Information
Click the tabs to view more information.
Submission date abstracts: 31 March 2026
Conference Theme
The conference theme for ALM33 is: Adults learning and using mathematics for responsible citizenship
The conference will include opportunities to:
- consider how the current era of political and socio-ecological challenges calls for responsible citizenship of all adults (16 years and above), whether they are learners, teachers, researchers, or otherwise.
- Discuss what responsible citizenship may entail, like for example, “ethically caring for others and for the future” or “building a harmonious and sustainable society by playing an active role in both public and private life”.
- Discuss how an education for responsible citizenship can be related to adults learning mathematics, adults’ numeracy and mathematical literacy, and vocational mathematics education.
- discuss how current research and practice might contribute to a future of adults learning and using mathematics for responsible citizenship.
Keynote speakers & topics
Lonneke Boels - Choosing data wisely: How adults navigate statistical information
Lonneke Boels is a senior researcher within the Mathematical and Analytical Competence of Professionals research group at Hogeschool Utrecht since August 2022, where she holds the position of professor since August 2025. She researches how mathematical and analytical competencies, including numeracy, can be acquired by citizens, students and professionals.
Choosing data wisely: How adults navigate statistical information
Citizens regularly search the web for answers to daily life questions. These search results are data — but unlike the data statistics education prepares us for, they are typically unstructured, unsystematic, and not produced for research purposes. Yet how adults reason statistically with such unstructured, unsystematic data remains largely unknown.
Statistics education has yet to catch up: curricula emphasise producers’ tasks—e.g., how to carefully collect data—while consumers’ tasks—interpreting data found online, in newspapers, or on social media—remain largely unaddressed. Gal identified this distinction in 2000, yet empirical research on how adults actually perform such tasks is scarce.
A first, broader study examined how adults handle numerical and statistical content in contemporary information sources. A serendipitous finding emerged: when navigating web and mobile search results, participants displayed unexpected forms of statistical reasoning. This prompted a second, more focused study with vocationally educated adults, in which we asked: how do adults reason statistically when they search the web? Observing adults engaged in authentic web searches for mortgages and consumer products, we captured how they evaluate and reason with the data they encounter.
Both studies challenge a core assumption in statistics education: that formal procedures matter most. Instead, adults need and demonstrate informal statistical reasoning— including judging trustworthiness and navigating algorithm-driven search results—skills rarely taught in school. These findings suggest that, alongside producers’ tasks, greater attention to consumers’ tasks in curricula would better prepare adults for what they need in daily life.
Javier Díez-Palomar
Javier Díez-Palomar is associate professor in the Department of Linguistic and Literary Education, and Teaching and Learning of Experimental Sciences and Mathematics, at the University of Barcelona. He is a member of the Numeracy Expert Group (OECD) working at the PIAAC survey (2018-2025). He has been working with adult learners as volunteer since 1999, learning and promoting the dialogic learning approach. He is now working on numeracy as a member of the Erasmus + project Common European Numeracy Framework, and was a member of the Working Group on Mathematics for Work, Society and Personal Development: Lifelong Learning at CERME 12 and CERME14.
Connecting assessment frameworks to measure numeracy: New avenues for research and social impact
I will examine the relationship between research in Adults Learning Mathematics (ALM) and the principal frameworks for assessing and measuring numeracy, considering social impact (understood as the extent to which individuals’ lives are improved) as a central objective of research and professional practice in this field. Building on this perspective, I will address some key questions: What challenges do individuals performing below Level 1 in numeracy face? Where are the critical gaps that require attention? What does current research reveal about these gaps? And how should future efforts be oriented to address them effectively?
One of the main concerns over the past decade among authorities and teachers in adult education has been how to design efficient systems to “measure” the knowledge levels of individuals attending institutions that provide learning opportunities. In 2007, a team led by Mieke van Groenestijn developed the first European framework for assessing adult numeracy. Ten years later, several members of this group contributed to the development of a new European numeracy framework, identifying common elements of numeracy across European countries. Frameworks for assessing and measuring numeracy are generally shaped by two main sources. First, they draw on developments in research. Second, they build on and evolve from earlier frameworks. For example, frameworks such as PIAAC or CENF rely both on the research literature on numeracy and on previous large-scale assessment frameworks (or earlier versions of themselves).
These large-scale surveys contribute to outlining the basic framework that many of us ultimately use as a reference in our professional practice. This presentation aims to provide an opportunity to better understand and clarify these large-scale surveys, and to reflect collectively on the impact they have—or could have—on our work. I will also argue that practitioners can have a voice in shaping such initiatives, ensuring that large-scale surveys incorporate practitioners’ knowledge and better respond to their needs.
Catherine Byrne - In prison – What happens with the mathematics student?
Catherine Byrne is a teacher of maths in Irish prisons for many years. She teaches all levels of maths, both accredited and non-accredited courses. She is interested in assessment, motivation, self-efficacy, mathematical resilience, emotion and maths learning, and maths life stories. She has completed a PhD in TU Dublin, researching maths in prison education. Catherine leads the ALM topic group “Maths in Prisons” which provides an informal discussion space for people involved in teaching or researching maths learning in the prison context. She is involved in an Erasmus + project on Strengthening Numeracy in Prison (SNIP), a collaboration between Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland.
In prison – what happens with the mathematics student?
In this presentation I will address a gap in educational research: the mathematics student in prison. Mathematics education for this unique category of citizens varies considerably across countries and within national systems. There are unique challenges and opportunities for learning mathematics in this under-researched context. I will showcase some previous research in the field and refer to the ALM Maths in Prisons Topic Group.
I will then present results of a mixed-methods study, in which I have investigated the dispositions of a sample of students in an Irish prison school. Here I have examined their mathematical learning histories, motivations, and levels of mathematical self-efficacy. The findings reveal that students’ patterns of engagement vary across different learning contexts in their histories, and that engagement in mathematics education can serve as a pathway for students to develop citizenship through a strengthened sense of belonging. The data indicates that these mathematics students exhibit a blend of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, with high mathematical self-efficacy. Key themes emerging from the data are attachment and desistance, which are particularly significant for citizenship and belonging. Many are motivated by a desire to help their children and to learn how to stay out of prison, believing that improving their mathematical skills will help them become better members of their community. The findings also highlight a lack of continuity across educational stages—primary, post-primary, and adult education. Future research into the links between mathematics education in prisons, families, and belonging could support responsible citizenship.
Karolina Muhrman & Peter Frejd – Fourteen years of research on mathematics in vocational education
Karolina Muhrman is an associate professor at the department of behavioural science and learning, Linköping University, Sweden. Her research focus on mathematics in working life and in vocational education. She also is also involved in research on municipal adult education and is one of the leaders of the project “Mathematics teaching in vocational programs: The importance of context for students’ motivation and academic performance” funded by the Swedish Research Council’. She is also Operatins manager of the innovation platform Agtech Sweden and the Swedish national knowledge hub for digitalisation in agriculture, both located at Linköping University.
Peter Frejd is associate professor at the department of mathematics, Linköping University, Sweden. His research combines mathematical modelling both in and outside of school and mathematics teaching in vocational education. He is one of the leaders of the project “Mathematics teaching in vocational programs: The importance of context for students’ motivation and academic performance” funded by the Swedish Research Council. In 2025, he was co-chair/organizer of ICTMA22. Peter is a co-leader of CERME’s TWG07 on ‘Mathematics for work, society and personal development’.
Fourteen years of research on mathematics in vocational education
This presentation summarises findings from 14 years of research on mathematics in Swedish vocational education and how teaching can be organised to support both learning and motivation. Throughout the research programme, we have identified that many vocational students encounter school mathematics that is largely detached from their future professions. This disconnect contributes to weak performance, low motivation and limited perceptions of relevance. At the same time, mathematical competence has become increasingly important in modern workplaces, highlighting the need for teaching models that connect more effectively to vocational practice. Our studies have also shown that several such teaching models may be used and that collaboration between mathematics teachers and vocational teachers, as well as the choice of teaching environment, is central for successful outcomes.
Building on this long-term work, our current project investigates how mathematics teaching can be designed to strengthen vocational students’ skills and motivation through the integration of authentic workplace contexts. The project includes interventions in both regular classrooms and actual vocational environments, allowing us to analyse how different settings influence engagement and understanding. Using a longitudinal mixed-methods design with tests, questionnaires based on Self-Determination Theory and a 2 year follow-up, we examine both short and long term effects on competence, perceived relevance and motivation.
The presentation highlights key insights from our research and presents new results from the final stages of the project.
Programme Overview
| Programme information |
The conference programme is planned for three full days. Registration in person will commence at 9.00am on Monday, June 30. The programme will run from 9:00 to 17:00 each day, except on Wednesday July 1st when the programme ends at 15:30. On the Tuesday there will an extra focus on teachers, and a parallel part of the programme will be in a Nordic language (Norwegian/Swedish/Danish)
A copy of the conference draft programme can be found here.
Information in Norwegian: Vi planlegger at tirsdagen skal være ekstra relevant for lærere, om du underviser matematikk for yrkesfag, matematikk for yrkesfag, i fengsel, i voksenopplæring, på forberedende opplæring for voksne (FOV), innenfor familien eller i andre «utradisjonelle» steder, samt kompetanser en trenger i arbeidslivet og hverdagen. Det vil bli presentasjoner og verksteder på norsk/svensk/dansk.
Social Programme
A Welcome Reception will take place on Sunday June 29, 6.00-7.30pm. This event provides a good opportunity to meet the trustees and other delegates before the conference formally commences. The Welcome Reception will be held at OsloMet.
The conference dinner is scheduled for Tuesday June 30st. This is an optional part of the conference, but the organisers would like to encourage all delegates to attend. Places at the conference dinner should be pre-booked when registering for the conference. Information on the cost to come.
Other optional opportunities to socialise informally in the evenings will be available.
Location
ALM 33 is held in Oslo, Norway’s capital, at OsloMet (Oslo Metropolitan University). OsloMet is a modern and urban university, which is especially known for its academic communities within teacher education, health and social care, social sciences, design, and technology.
The conference is physically held at OsloMet Pilestredet campus, in building P46. The street address is Pilestredet 46, 0167 Oslo. You can see more about campus here, and see a map of campus here.
The campus is walkable from the city centre, and close to tram and bus lines (closest stops are Holbergs plass or Frydenlund), and ten-fifteen minutes’ walk from train and subway at Nationalteateret station.
Registration & Payment
Conference Fees
The individual delegate fees for the conference are as follows:
- Full conference (3 days) – 3400 NOK (applicable until May 31st)
- Full conference (3 days) – 4000 NOK (applicable after May 31st)
- Tuesday only (Nordic day), reduced fee for practicing teachers – 600 NOK
All of the above rates include morning and afternoon refreshments and lunch.
Conference dinner:
An additional charge will be made for those attending the conference dinner on the evening of Tuesday June 30th of NOK 600 per person. This should be paid with the registration fee.
Registration
Registration and payment will be completed through the link below. Here you will complete and submit your registration form for the conference and pay the appropriate fee (shown above). Registration includes payment by credit card (VISA/MasterCard) (or VIPPS for Norwegians).
If you have any questions or problems with payment, please contact the ALM Treasurer at treasurer@alm-online.net
Financial Support
ALM has a small amount of funding available to provide support in the form of bursaries for researchers or teachers who wish to present at the conference but are prevented by the financial cost. This may be due to a lack of access to funding from an employer, or their personal circumstances. Please note that applicants should be members of ALM and priority is normally given to those who have not previously attended an ALM conference in person.
Further details are given on the bursary application form which can be downloaded here. Completed application forms should be sent to the ALM Treasurer at treasurer@alm-online.net and any queries should be directed to the Chair at chair@alm-online.net. All applications will be considered impartially and confidentially by a small panel of ALM trustees. Applicants should proceed with the submission of their session proposal and any revisions requested whilst their application is being considered.
Travel & Accomodation
To get to Oslo you can take an overnight ferry from Copenhagen, trains or buses via Copenhagen, or fly to Oslo airport Gardermoen. It is also possible to land at Torp airport but be aware that Torp to Oslo is a longer and more inconvenient journey.
To get to the city centre from Oslo airport Gardermoen, you can use the more expensive, but convenient airport express train (every ten or 20 minutes most of the day) called Flytoget. Or do as the locals – use the VY trains which have about three departures every hour. The difference is five minutes longer journey time, and a possible wait for next departure depending on the timing. From the airport you need ticket from zone 4N to zone 1 if using VY (can be bought at the “ruter” app) – or buy a ticket from Flytoget if you use the airport express (not possible to buy on the ruter app).
For traveling within the city of Oslo, we recommend that you download the app “ruter” https://ruter.no/en/plan-journey/the-ruter-app for tickets for all trams/buses/subway and trains in the city centre. A day or week pass is good value if you want to move around in the city or have need for transport from your hotel to/from the conference venue.
In Oslo there are many museums, for instance the Munch museum and Folkemuseet, or you can try a sauna before jumping in the sea. Taking a ferry ride to the island Hovedøya is nice – or get a great view of Oslo from the top of the ski jump in Holmenkollen. If you want to explore Norway further before or after the conference, a lovely trip is the railway from Oslo to Bergen. Or visit the archipelagos in the south of Norway, for instance the small cities of Grimstad, Lillesand and Kristiansand.
Accommodation
Most city centre hotels are within a short walk or tram-ride away from OsloMet campus Pilestredet. There are many hotels in Oslo city, and we recommend checking prices. The closest hotels to the conference are at Holbergs plass. It is probably clever to book hotel early with the possibility for cancellation if needed.
Programme and Organising Committee
- Trude Sundtjønn (chair), OsloMet, Norway;
- Anders E. Wiik, University of Agder, Norway;
- Oda Bolstad, Volda University College, Norway;
- Tanja Aas, Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, Norway;
- Pauline Vos, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway;
- Niamh O’Meara, EPISTEM, University of Limerick, Ireland and
- Marc Jorgensen, Utah Valley University, US.
ALM33 is organised under the auspices of ALM (https://alm-online.net/).