|
|
|
|
ALM is an international research forum bringing together researchers and practitioners in adult mathematics/numeracy teaching and learning in order to promote the learning of mathematics by adults.
|
|
|
|
ALM bulletin January 2026
Welcome to the first ALM bulletin of 2026. We are excited to announce new opportunities for the ALM community to meet this year, through our ongoing seminars and the summer conference (ALM 33) which will be held in Oslo, Norway. It is also time to get writing, with a Call for Papers for a new Special Edition of the ALM International Journal and the invitation to submit a session proposal for ALM 33. In addition, we have news from Canada of an interesting report on Adult Skills and a reminder that ALM Membership subscriptions for 2026 are now due - but also keep your eye on the website for further information as we follow up on our initial exploratory meetings of new Topic Groups.
|
Now it’s time to read on and make sure you don’t miss out on ALM events in 2026!
|
Diane Dalby
Chair of ALM trustees
|
|
|
|
ALM33
|
Don't forget to book your trip to Oslo, Norway for our 33rd Adults Learning Mathematics conference at Oslo Metropolitan University. The conference will be held from Monday, June 29th to Wednesday, July 1st, 2026, with a social gathering on Sunday 28th June. Following from the successful conference held last year at the University of Nottingham, UK, ALM 33 is again a face-to-face conference at which all researchers and teachers in the field of adults learning mathematics (16-years and older) are welcome. This includes those involved with numeracy and mathematical literacy, and working 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.
|
|
|
|
Call for session proposals
The ALM 33 Programme Team are now inviting proposals for sessions related to the conference theme of Adults learning and using mathematics for responsible citizenship. Sessions may take the form of research presentations or interactive workshops. Further information is available on the conference website but here are the key deadlines:
• Tuesday March 17th – submission of session proposals (250-350 words)
• Tuesday April 14th – feedback on session proposals
• Tuesday May 5th – revisions to session proposals (up to 500 words)
|
|
|
|
Virtual seminars
Anders Wiik led an inspiring webinar in January 2026 on how mathematical representational forms in weather forecasts have changed between 1945 and 2020, and what opportunities and challenges arise in young adults’ encounters with numbers and graphs from the news related to the corona pandemic. His research findings are relevant to adults’ participation in democratic processes and social issues, where many face challenges in taking part in this discourse.
|
|
On March 19th, we look forward to a seminar about What happens when mathematics and craft teachers work collaboratively? from Bettina Dahl Sondergaard and Lena Lindenskov. Bettina and Lena will discuss the materials, lesson plans and outcomes from a recent vocational education project (KLUMP) in Denmark, where five collaborative teams were formed by pairing one craft teacher with one mathematics teacher. Further information is available here but please hold the date and watch out for an announcement about registration.
|
|
|
|
News from Canada
|
Thanks to Ana Duff at Ontario Tech University, who has informed us that Statistics Canada has published a new report on Literacy, Numeracy and Adaptive Problem-solving Skills of Canadians: Results from the 2022 Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. It is available at https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/241210/dq241210a-eng.htm.
|
|
|
|
ALM International Journal
We have recently welcomed Aibhin Bray (Trinity College, Dublin) to the Editorial team as a temporary replacement for Fiona Faulkner, who is on leave.
|
Call for papers: Special issue on adult mathematics education in prison settings.
We are currently inviting contributions from researchers, teachers, managers, policymakers, and former students that explore the role and potential of mathematics within carceral systems across the world. Possible themes for papers will include teaching innovations; policy and infrastructure; impact and outcomes; students’ perspectives; national and international comparisons; theoretical frameworks; and collaboration across disciplines. The provisional timeline is on the website with information about how to submit a proposal. Please let any colleagues know who work in this area.
|
|
|
|
Topic Groups
Topic groups are a way of maintaining more continuous collaboration between the ALM seminars and annual conferences. The Mathematics in Prison (MiP) group has been established for several years but in December 2025, three other groups met online for exploratory discussions.
• The Teaching Numeracy to Adults group reaffirmed a shared belief that numeracy should be meaningful and relevant, connecting to learners’ life experiences and needs, while also broadening their horizons. Specific issues raised included the importance of further developing competencies in financial literacy, the impact of using ICTs in various aspects of adult life, misconceptions around online gambling and the odds of winning, as well as the need to clarify specific concepts (which clearly impact our everyday lives) such as simple and compound interest.
• The Mathematics in and for Workplace group considered how mathematics and numeracy skills are developed in vocational education and training, highlighting the difference between mathematics taught as a separate subject and mathematics embedded within vocational training. How this relates to the way mathematics is used in the workplace was also a concern, and the difficulty students have in recognising the same mathematics in different settings.
• The Theoretical Perspectives group followed up on previous conversations about ways of viewing mathematics and numeracy learning for adults in different contexts. Linked to this are perspectives on the distinction between numeracy and mathematics in the adult context, which affect both policy and practice.
|
|
We encourage you to share ideas about the development of Topic Groups with the ALM Chair at chair@alm-online.net. If you did not register for the Topic Group meetings in December, you are welcome to register your interest now by emailing the ALM Chair.
|
|
|
|
ALM Membership
Membership fees are due in January each year so please could all members check that they have now paid. The individual membership fee is £25 but there are special rates for organisations and students. If any members have difficulty paying or have any other queries, they are very welcome to contact the Membership Secretary at membership@alm-online.net.
|
|
If you are not yet a member, please do consider supporting the work of ALM in this way. By becoming a member, you demonstrate a commitment to the aims of ALM and contribute to essential maintenance costs through a small annual subscription. You can find more information about how to do this at https://alm-online.net/become-a-member/.
|
|
|
|
Future bulletins
|
We hope that you are enjoying the regular ALM bulletin. If you have news from your part of the world or know of projects that may be of interest to our international community, please email the information to Lena Lindenskov at lenali@edu.au.dk by March 1st 2026 for the next bulletin.
|
|
|
|
Privacy Policy
|
We do not send advertisements. We do not send data to third parties. Your membership data are stored offline. You can always ask to have your data removed permanently by sending a request to the membership secretary.
|
|
By subscribing to the ALM-bulletin or by joining ALM, you agree to our Privacy Policy
|
|
|
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
|
|
