Home / Non-Accredited / Workplace Essentials & Personal Effectiveness / Mathematical Literacy Course: Shape, Space and Measurement (3 days)
Quick Look Course Summary:Mathematical Literacy Course: Shape, Space and Measurement (3 days)
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Next Public Course Date:
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Length: 3 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 14,997 EX VAT 3 Person R 11,205 EX VAT 10 Person R 8,120 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Mathematical Literacy Course: Shape, Space and Measurement (3 days)
Delegates measure, estimate and calculate with confidence in practical work situations – areas, volumes, quantities, scale, speed and rates.
Many workplace errors are measurement errors: the wrong quantity of material ordered, a container or room that does not fit, a plan read at the wrong scale, a delivery that takes longer than planned. This three-day mathematical literacy course builds practical confidence with shape, space and measurement for adults who use numbers at work but never felt sure of them at school.
Delegates work with length, perimeter, area, surface area and volume of everyday two- and three-dimensional shapes; mass, capacity and conversions between metric units; ratio, proportion and scale on plans and maps; and speed, distance, time and other rates. They learn to estimate first and check afterwards, to read and sketch simple plans and nets, and to explain and justify their reasoning when an answer is questioned.
Every topic uses South African workplace and household examples – tiling and painting quotes, storage and loading space, mixing ratios, fuel use and travel times – with plenty of guided practice and calculator skills built in. The course suits project, site, warehouse and administrative staff, and adults preparing for further study. It also works as a practical numeracy course for adults who want to be confident with the numbers, measurements and calculations they use at work.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Fewer costly errors in quantities, ordering and quoting
- Staff who read plans, scales and measurements correctly
- More confident project, site and warehouse teams
- A foundation for further technical or project training
For your delegates
- Confidence with everyday measurement and calculation
- Quick estimation methods to check your answers
- Practical skills for working with plans, scales and maps
- Calculator skills for work and home
What delegates will be able to do
- Measure and estimate length, area, volume, mass and capacity with suitable units and tools
- Convert accurately between metric units
- Calculate perimeter, area, surface area and volume of common shapes and objects
- Use ratio, proportion and scale to read and draw plans and maps
- Calculate speed, distance, time and other rates in practical situations
- Describe and represent 2D and 3D shapes, including nets, views and plans
- Investigate patterns in shapes, make conjectures and justify them
- Check results by estimation and judge whether an answer is reasonable
Who should attend
Adults who use measurement and calculation at work – project and site staff, artisans' assistants, warehouse, logistics and stores staff, facilities and maintenance teams, administrators who prepare quotes or orders, and small business owners. Delegates need basic arithmetic and the ability to read workplace documents; the course opens with a refresher.
Course outline
Day 1 – Measuring and estimating
Number and calculator refresher
- Decimals, fractions and percentages
- Rounding measurements sensibly
- Using a calculator efficiently and checking the result
- Estimating before calculating
Units and conversions
- The metric system: length, mass, capacity and time
- Converting mm, cm, m and km; g, kg and tonnes; ml and litres
- Choosing the right unit and measuring tool for the job
- Accuracy and tolerance in measurement
Length and perimeter
- Measuring with tapes, rulers and measuring wheels
- Perimeter of rectangles, triangles and composite shapes
- Circles: circumference and the meaning of pi
- Practical tasks: fencing, skirting and cable runs
Area
- Area of rectangles, triangles and circles
- Area of composite shapes and floor plans
- Converting square units
- Practical tasks: tiling, painting and flooring quotes
Day 2 – Shape, space and volume
Two- and three-dimensional shapes
- Properties of common 2D shapes and angles
- Prisms, cylinders, cones and spheres
- Nets: unfolding a 3D object into a flat pattern
- Top, front and side views
- Symmetry and patterns
Surface area
- Surface area of boxes, cylinders and tanks
- Estimating material and paint quantities
- Allowing for wastage and offcuts
Volume and capacity
- Volume of prisms and cylinders
- Cubic units and litres: how they relate
- Practical tasks: tanks, containers, concrete and loading space
- Mass and density in outline
Making and justifying conjectures
- Spotting patterns in shapes and measurements
- Making a conjecture and testing it
- Explaining and justifying your reasoning
- Finding and correcting errors in a calculation
Day 3 – Ratio, scale and motion
Ratio and proportion
- Ratios in mixing: concrete, paint, cleaning chemicals and recipes
- Direct and inverse proportion
- Sharing a quantity in a given ratio
- Percentage increases and decreases
Scale on plans and maps
- Reading scales on building plans and maps
- Converting scaled measurements to real sizes
- Drawing a simple plan to scale
- Using map scales and grids to find distances
Speed, distance and time
- How speed, distance and time relate
- Average speed and planning travel time
- Rates: fuel consumption, flow rates and production rates
- Reading distance-time graphs
Workplace project
- A practical project combining area, volume, scale and time
- Presenting and justifying your answers
- Self-check quiz, review and close
How it is delivered
Three days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; examples tailored to your industry on request. Workbook and practice exercises included; delegates need a basic scientific calculator. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
“BOTi has consistently and expertly delivered quality training services in respect of our Soft Skills requirements. We feel confident in recommending BOTI as a training services provider par excellence.”
“The course was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by both the quality of training and the Facilitators.”
“We have been very impressed with their service and rollout of the training.”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our offices?
Yes. Most groups are trained at the client's premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host it at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
How many people can attend?
From one delegate to groups of about 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Is it accredited?
No – it is a non-accredited short course and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Do delegates need to be good at maths?
No. The course is for adults who use numbers at work but lack confidence. It starts with a refresher and every method is practised step by step on real tasks.
Can the examples be tailored to our industry?
Yes. Send us a few typical calculations from your workplace – quantities, plans, loads or travel times – and the facilitator builds them into the exercises.
Can you run this course in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban?
Yes. We train on site at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and across South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online so a team spread over several offices can attend together.