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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.
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Introduction
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For many of us, this is a time of transition where seasons are changing, and we are busy settling into another academic or school year with new students and sometimes a change of colleagues too. Whatever your situation and wherever you live in the world, ALM aims to provide a supportive community where those teaching mathematics to adults, or researching in this area, can share knowledge and experiences for mutual benefit.
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The ALM trustees are currently formulating plans for our international conference next summer, whilst also finalising arrangements for a new seminar series commencing this autumn and extending the activity of ALM topic groups. You are welcome to join in with any of these activities, whether a member of ALM or not, so please read on for further details.
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ALM would also welcome additional volunteers to assist the trustees with specific events during the year such as conference or seminar organisation. If you think you might be able to help with these or any other task, please do get in touch with me directly at chair@alm-online.net.
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Diane Dalby
Chair of ALM trustees
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ALM34 - save the dates!
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ALM 34 will take place in July 2027 as an online conference. The provisional dates are July 5th, 6th and 7th 2027 so please save these in your diary and watch out for further announcements on the website. A similar format will be used to ALM 31, with regional cluster meetings taking place in different time zones, at which participants can view and discuss pre-recorded keynote presentations in small groups. There are plans for at least one hybrid cluster where participants will have the option of meeting together in person or online.
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ALM Virtual Seminars
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Further details will be added to the website in the next few weeks but here are some provisional dates to reserve in your diary. Both seminars will take place at 8pm CET (7pm UK).
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Monday October 19th 2026 - Charlotte Arkenback will lead a hands-on workshop on the use of AI. This promises to be an exciting and innovative event (postponed from earlier in the year).
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Thursday November 19th 2026 - Hanna Knutson will share key findings from her doctoral study of mathematics in vocational education. Her research explores what it means to “know” mathematics and seeks to answer questions about how education prepares adults to use mathematics in life and work.
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ALM Topic Groups
Following from the success of topic group discussions at our last two conferences, further online meetings during the coming year are being planned for three of these groups. The well-established Maths in Prison group will continue to be led by Catherine Byrne, and online meetings of the new Teaching Numeracy to Adults group have now commenced, under the leadership of Javier Diez-Palomar and Anita Alexander. The report below from the Teaching Numeracy to Adults group gives a taste of what this group has been doing. If you are interested in joining either of these two groups, please contact the topic group leader, using the email address tg-mathsinprisons@alm-online.net or tg-teachingnumeracy@alm-online.net. Plans for a third group, Mathematics in and for the Workplace will follow later.
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Teaching Numeracy to Adults – conference report
The Topic Group (TG) “Teaching Numeracy to Adults” met several times during the ALM Conference in Oslo. During these meetings, participants reached several agreements on how to organise the group's work over the coming year. First, members reaffirmed the TG's twofold purpose: (a) to provide academic resources on the teaching of adult numeracy, and (b) to develop practical resources for practitioners in adult education. These two objectives emerged as the group's shared priorities.
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Following agreement on these aims, discussions focused on organising the group's activities over the coming months. It was proposed that the TG meet every three months. The provisional schedule includes meetings in September 2026, April 2027 (taking the Easter holidays into account), during the annual ALM Conference (usually held in July), and October 2027. A major area of discussion concerned the development of a shared repository of resources for adult numeracy educators. Participants proposed creating a resource bank that brings together open-access materials, research project outputs, and teaching resources relevant to adult numeracy. It was agreed that all shared resources should meet two fundamental criteria: (a) they must be freely available, and (b) they must be accessible to all users. Rather than simply compiling links, participants suggested that the materials should be: (a) tagged according to educational level; (b) accompanied by explanatory notes for teachers; (c) categorised using complexity frameworks derived from international assessment programmes; and (d) supported by clear selection criteria.
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A further proposal was to develop structured lesson sequences, consisting of three to five connected lessons that could be adapted to different educational contexts, rather than providing isolated classroom activities. Participants also discussed opportunities to support the professional learning of adult numeracy teachers. In particular, the possibility of organising a series of webinars on adult numeracy instruction was raised. In addition, members expressed interest in strengthening international networking to develop collaborative projects and apply for international research and education grants.
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ALM International Journal
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The editorial team is planning to introduce a mentoring scheme to support new or inexperienced authors who are seeking to publish articles in the ALM International Journal. If you feel you have the skills to support inexperienced writers and are familiar with the scope of the ALM International Journal, please consider offering your services as a mentor. To find out more about being a mentor, please get in touch with the ALMIJ chief editor who will be happy to answer questions.
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ICME-16
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The International Congress of Mathematics Education (ICME) is takes place every four years. The next conference, ICME-16 will be held July 9th-16th 2028 in Prague, Czech Republic. Since this is the largest of the regular international mathematics education conferences, it is pleasing that ICME-16 includes a Topic Study Group with a relevant focus for those interested in adults learning mathematics “Mathematics in and for work: lifelong learning including adult learning” which will be co-led by ALM trustee Javier Diez-Palomar.
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CERME 15
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Although the submission date for CERME 15 papers has now passed, this event is worth noting since relevant discussions will be taking place in the Thematic Working Group “Mathematics for Work, Society and Personal Development: Lifelong Learning”. The conference will take place in Bratislava, February 8th-11th, 2027. We look forward to receiving reports after the event from ALM members who are attending.
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ALM Membership
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Becoming a member is a way of showing your commitment to the aims and work of ALM. Members pay a small annual fee, which contributes to costs such as hosting seminars, website maintenance, and journal production. You can find more information here about membership and how to become a member.
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Future bulletins
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We hope that you are enjoying the regular ALM bulletin. If you have news from your part of the world that may be of interest to our international community, please email the ALM Chair by November 1st 2026 for inclusion in the next issue.
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Privacy Policy
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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.
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By subscribing to the ALM-bulletin or by joining ALM, you agree to our Privacy Policy
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