Planning for an emphasis on numeracy in the curriculum

Adult Learning, 2008

Many adults are mathematically ill-prepared for the future. Globalization and rapid changes in technology have created a need for adults to update their skill sets for career sustainability and to process a myriad of information for decision-making as world citizens. In these tumultuous economic times, strong mathematics skills enhance employability by increasing job performance, productivity, and access to further education and training. According to a report conducted by the Confederation of British Industry (2009), 735 surveyed employers identified workers' poor mathematics skills as negatively impacting customer service and expressed concern over the low technological abilities found in the available workforce. There is predicted to be a 38% increase in the number of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology occupations between 2008 and 2013 (U.S. Department of Education, 2000). The products, services, standards of living, and economic and military securities depend on citizens having the necessary mathematics and sciences skills. In the data-driven culture of the United States, basic calculation, estimation, data analysis, and probability interpretation are all necessary for active participation in a civil society. Patient numeracy is necessary for healthcare decision-making including self-managing the chronic conditions of a disease and analyzing the risks and probabilities of medical interventions. An understanding of appropriate quantitative reasoning is crucial for examining complex concepts, such as a cost-benefit analysis of proposed universal healthcare legislation. This critical numeracy self-empowers decision-making by avoiding an indiscriminate dependence on "experts" who may be using politically skewed quantitative arguments. Steen (1990, pp. 211-231) punctuates this susceptibility coming with innumeracy, "An innumerate citizen is as vulnerable today as the illiterate peasant of Gutenberg's time." American Adults Have Low Numeracy Dispositions A numerate citizenry is every bit as essential as a literate citizenry. Regardless of this reality, only 20% of United States males believe low numeracy skills limit their ability to obtain a job and 80% believe innumeracy has no effect on their job opportunities (Steen, 2004). American adults have low numeracy dispositions which are the attitudes and beliefs to value numeracy as a

2009

Academic numeracy is a critical awareness that allows students to become confident and competent in using mathematics and to be able to situate, interpret, critique, use, communicate and even create mathematics within their discipline’s setting. Academic numeracy is usually based on both the mathematics learnt at school and the mathematics needed in disciplines such as nursing or economics. Many students at both school and university are opting to study easier types of mathematics; universities are removing mathematical pre-requisites from award programs and not recognising the embedded mathematics within many of their courses. These trends ensure that initiatives which allow students to bridge the mathematical gaps to university are still necessary. Yet while research into mathematics at university does exist, it is still in it infancy. There are many questions not fully answered and as universities move into the culture of quality and performance matched funding, it is essential t...

Brock Education Journal

This essay describes the development of the word numeracy as it evolved from its initial use in 1959 to its current meaning today. Initially appearing in a British report to address mathematics education of teenage boys and girls, it was first used in relation to the word literate and defined as the ability with or knowledge of numbers. By the mid-1960s, the meaning shifted from computation of numbers to the ability to interpret data and make sense of the world through business, science, and technology. In the 1970s, numeracy was seen as a skill that was essential in life and by the turn of the twenty-first century, numeracy came to include the ability to reason. Numeracy was no longer seen simply in the area of mathematics but continued to permeate through all areas of study and furthermore, into daily life.

1997

OECD Education Working Papers

This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. 2 │ EDU/WKP(2018)13 NUMERACY PRACTICES AND NUMERACY SKILLS AMONG ADULTS Unclassified OECD Education working papers series OECD Working Papers should not be reported as representing the official views of the OECD or of its member countries. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein are those of the author(s). Working Papers describe preliminary results or research in progress by the author(s) and are published to stimulate discussion on a broad range of issues on which the OECD works. Comments on Working Papers are welcome, and may be sent to the Directorate for Education and Skills, OECD,