Numeracy – a matter of life and death

1. Numeracy – a matter of life and death Steve Thornton s.thornton@griffith.edu.au

2. Quantitative literacy (Steen) • Quantitative literacy empowers people by giving them tools to think for themselves, ask intelligent questions and confront authority.

3. Critical mathematical literacy (Frankenstein) • Understanding the mathematics • Understanding the mathematics of political knowledge • Understanding the politics of mathematical knowledge • Understanding the politics of knowledge

4. NUMBER (THOUSANDS) CATEGORY (1) 101,400 Employed full-time (2) 19,000 Employed part-time, want part-time work (3) 4,000 Employed part-time, want full-time work (4) 5,600 Not employed, looked for work in last month, not on temporary layoff (5) 1,100 Not employed, on temporary layoff (6) 400 Not employed, want a job now, looked for work in last year, stopped looking because discouraged about prospects of finding work (7) 1,400 Not employed, want a job now, looked for work in last year, stopped looking for other reasons (8) 3,800 Not employed, want a job now, have not looked for work in the last year (9) 60,700 Not employed, don’t want a job now (adults)

5. An Australian example: boys’ education “FALLING BEHIND” Key facts from the federal parliamentary report into the education of boys: • Year 3 and 5 literacy tests show boys perform up to five percentage points worse than girls • Average NSW Tertiary Entrance Score for boys was 19 percentage points worse than for girls in 1996 • 80 percent of suspensions from schools were boys (Canberra Times 22 October 2002)

6. Situated cognition (Lave) • The context shapes the mathematics used • The importance of mathematics varies from context to context • It is impossible to separate cognitive activity, context and the person

7. Numeracy (Willis) • To be numerate is, at the very least, having the competence and the disposition to use mathematics to meet the general demands of life at home, in paid work, and for participation in community and civic life.

8. A numeracy framework Being numerate involves a blend of three types of knowledge: • Contextual knowledge • Mathematical knowledge • Strategic knowledge.

9. Contextual knowledge • Clarify the outcomes of the task and recognize when and where mathematics might help. • Understand the mathematical ideas and techniques as embedded in the context or that might be applied in the situation. • See what interpretations make sense in the setting, apply and adapt the mathematics to fit the constraints of the situation and in a way that makes sense in the setting. • Make decisions about how accurate you need to be.   • Interpret the outcome(s) in the context and evaluate the mathematics used.

10. Mathematical knowledge • Understand the mathematical ideas and techniques required in the situation. • Use the mathematical ideas and techniques.

11. Strategic knowledge • An orientation or disposition to use mathematics in a situation. • Know what mathematics is and isn’t and what it can and can’t do in order to judge and question the appropriateness of its use in particular situations. • Judge or question the validity or reasonableness of the use of mathematics in situations. • Understand the mathematical idea used in one setting and see how it could be used in other contexts.

12. A cautionary tale • Jack the Ripper

13. 31/8 8/11 30/9 30/9

14. Mary Kelly’s body was found at flat 1326 Dorset Street Another woman, Martha Tabram, was also found murdered on 6/8/1888. She was killed by 39 stab wounds.

15. THE JUWES ARE THE MEN THAT WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR NOTHING

18. The numeracy moment • Notice the ‘moment’ • Decide how crucial the moment is to deal with • Decide on when to deal with it • What are the student numeracy issues or possibilities? • Identify the strategy you will use • Talk to the students

19. Implications for the teacher • Capture the numeracy in the moment • Be aware of possible numeracy demands when planning • Allow students to work it out • Support student numeracy learning by questioning • Diagnose student numeracy by listening purposefully • Debrief the numeracy • Practice • Promote critical use of mathematics • Teach the framework to the students • Share information on student numeracy with others

20. A final quote: whose mathematics? “There is no future in denying some successes in the science and technology developed following the Greek style. We will surely not be able to build faster jets and more powerful missiles using the male and female triangles of the Xingu ethnomathematics. But maybe the male and female triangles could help us not build the missiles and the jets carrying the bombs.” (Ubi d’Ambrosio)

21. The ACT MYNRP Website • http://activated.det.act.gov.au/MYNRP/index.htm

22. References • Frankenstein, M. (2001). “To read the world: goals for a critical mathematical literacy”. Paper presented at AAMT conference, Canberra 2001 • Lave, J. (1988). Cognition in Practice. Cambridge University Press • PISA (2001). Knowledge and skills for life. Paris: OECD • Steen, L. (2001). Mathematics and democracy: the case for quantitative literacy. National Council on Education and the Disciplines • Willis, S (1992). Being numerate: Whose right? Whose left? Literacy and Numeracy Exchange