You are here: Home > Case Studies > Mandy

Case Study: Mandy

An undiagnosed hearing problem caused Mandy to endure a very unhappy time at secondary school, where she felt she was left to her own devices at the bottom of the class. She did a great deal of drawing in maths lessons, the only area of the curriculum in which she felt she excelled. Her teachers seemed unsympathetic to her difficulties with maths. She found them unapproachable and consequently did not dare to ask for help or extra explanations.

Her son now has similar problems but thankfully is given 1:1 support and has a statement of educational need.

When asked about her feeling towards maths, the words fear and anxiety spring to mind and she avoids maths whenever possible. Faced with making payments in shops she will always pay with a larger note than is necessary to avoid the embarrassment of fumbling with change. It definitely causes a degree of stress.

Mandy found out about the Money Management course through a friend who intended enrolling. She wanted to know more about handling money and the associated problems. She hoped that she would learn some basic numeracy skills but wasn’t too sure ii that would be possible.

Mandy had actually learned a lot through attending the course though she finds some aspects difficult and wants more practice She has a sense of achievement in being able to help her children, instead of relying on her husband to do it. She says she is more confident to have a go at basic maths problems. She is finding the information put forward in the course interesting and feels more aware of financial issues. She is keen to do extra work at home that is set for her individually

Mandy now hopes to go on to a designated Basic Numeric course to make further progress. If possible, she would like to study in the same centre as she finds the atmosphere is relaxed and she is no longer afraid to ask when she doesn’t understand. She says it is nothing like school; she feels comfortable, supported and confident in her learning environment.

Case study taken from DEBS (Developing Embedded Basic Skills) Newsletter, issue 2, April 2003, NIACE