Chapter 4

Numeracy, practical mathematics and

mathematical literacy

Present
Feri Dwi Hartanto by: Dewi Apriliana
0401513029 0401513046
 Section 2, argued that
practical mathematics should
be the major focus of
mathematics teaching in the
compulsory school years.
Section 3 draws on common definitions of numeracy,
in part to clarify the way the term ‘numeracy’ is used
in this review paper, and also to elaborate three
arguments. They are:
• that numeracy has particular meanings in the
context of work, and these meanings have
implications for school mathematics curriculum
and pedagogy.
• that there is a numeracy dimension in many
social situations that can productively be
addressed by mathematics teachers.
• that numeracy perspectives can enrich the study
of other curriculum subjects.
In this section we will discussing about:
 Defining numeracy
 Work readiness and implications for a numeracy
curriculum
 A social perspective on numeracy
 Numeracy in other curriculum areas
 Defining numeracy
The term ‘numeracy’ is used in various contexts and
with different meanings, such as the following:
• as a descriptive label for systemic mathematical
assessments
• in subsequent reporting to schools and parents
• as the name of a remedial subject
• to describe certain emphases in the mathematics
curriculum and in other disciplines
The Australian Government Human Capital Working Group, concerned
about the readiness for work of some school leavers, commissioned the
National Numeracy Review (NNR). The review panel, which included
leading mathematics educators, initially used the following definition of
numeracy:
Numeracy is the effective use of mathematics to meet the
general demands of life at school and at home, in paid work, and
for participation in community and civic life.
(Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth
Affairs, 1999, p. 4)

The NNR report extended that definition to argue that:

… numeracy involves considerably more than the acquisition of
mathematical
routines and algorithms.
This review paper prefers the more helpful clarification, which had been
developed by Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT,
1998) after extensive consultation with its members and a special
purpose conference. This clarification contended that numeracy is:
… a fundamental component of learning, discourse and critique
across all areas of the curriculum.
(Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, 1998, p. 1)

The AAMT affirmed that numeracy involves a disposition and willingness:

… to use, in context, a combination of: underpinning
mathematical concepts and skills from across the discipline
(numerical, spatial, graphical, statistical and algebraic);
mathematical thinking and strategies; general thinking skills;
[and] grounded appreciation of context.
(Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, 1998, p. 1)
Work readiness and implications for
a numeracy curriculum
Lave (1988), observed various groups of people at work and showed
that the mathematical knowledge and skills utilised, for example by
shoppers and weight watchers, bore little resemblance to the
mathematical routines, procedures and even formulae taught in school.
In recent years, several large-scale studies of numeracy in the
workplace, in the United Kingdom (Bakker, Hoyles, Kent, & Noss, 2006),
and in Australia (Kanes, 2002; FitzSimons & Wedege, 2007), have
confirmed Lave’s findings.
Zevenbergen and Zevenbergen (2009) have drawn attention to ways
that young people use numeracy in their school work. Zevenbergen and
Zevenbergen found that young workers did not use formal school
mathematics even when solving problems involving measuring or
proportion and ratios, but, instead, relied on the use of intuitive methods,
A social perspective on numeracy
Consider the following sample problems, suitable for upper
primary students, the first two of which are adapted from Peled
(2008).
Figure 4. 1
Julia and Tony decided to buy a lottery ticket for $5.
Tony only had $1 on him so Julia paid $4.
Question 1: If they got $20 back as a prize, what are some
possible options for how they should share the prize?
Question 2: If they won $50,000, what are some possible options
for how they should share the prize?

The following example, also adapted from Peled (2008), raises

similar issues.
Figure 4. 2
Julia and Penny went shopping for shoes. Julia selected two
pairs, one marked at $120, and the other at $80. Penny chose a
pair for $100. The shop offers a discount where shoppers get
three pairs for the price of two.
Question: What are some possible options for how much Julia
and Penny should each pay?
Each of these problems requires consideration of aspects beyond
an arithmetical interpretation of the situation. The problems can
be adapted so they are relevant to students, illustrate an explicit
social dimension of numeracy, emphasise that some n umeracy-
informed decisionsare made on social criteria, and that in many
situations there can be a need to explain and even justify a
particular solution. Such problems can also provide insights into
the way that mathematics is used to generalise such situations.

Jablonka (2003), in an overview of the relationship between

mathematical literacy and mathematics, argued for mathematics
teachers to include a social dimension in their teaching. She
suggested that numeracy perspectives can be useful in exploring
cultural identity issues, and the way that particular peoples have
used numeracy historically, as well as critical perspectives that
are important not only for evaluating information presented in the
media (an example of this is the arguments presented on each
side of the global warming debates), but also for arguing
particular social perspectives (for example, the extent to which
Australia could manage refugees seeking resettlement)
Numeracy in other curriculum areas

For secondary teachers, who are subject specialists,

incorporating numeracy perspectives into subjects
other than mathematics is something of a challenge
for two
First, reasonsof: other curriculum areas are
teachers
sometimes not convinced that quantitative
perspectives illuminate the issues on which they
focus.
Second, many teachers who are specialists in non
mathematics subjects are neither confident nor skilled
in approaches to working with students to model or
explain the relevant numeracy.
 Some example of other
curriculum areas might
benefit from
incorporating numeracy
perspectives
The geography and mathematics teachers can both
benefit from collaboration on such issues. The
geography teacher can learn how to better present the
data which illustrates the relevant ratio comparisons,
and the mathematics teacher can benefit, through
listening to their colleagues’ thinking and description of
their ways of dealing with data from within the discipline
of geography.
In English literature study, the meaning and exegetical
analysis of texts can be enriched by being more precise
about the numeracy dimensions mentioned in the writing.
For example, to truly understanding the scale of fortune
that Jane Austen says that a man should amass before
proposing to a woman, some comparative wealth figures
from different levels of society 200 years ago, and
comparative income rates from then to the present,
converted to current Australian dollar values, would
enhance students’ appreciation of Austen’s assertion.
Both history and
mathematics teachers can
benefit from collaboration.
History teachers are best
placed to comment on the
significance of such
comparisons, and
mathematics teachers are
able to inform the
calculations and even
suggest appropriate models
that can be used. Other
topics for which a numeracy
perspective would enhance
the learning of history is in
appreciation of large
numbers, such as in
population comparisons,
In science, students in the middle and
senior secondary years perform
calculations related to concentrations,
titrations and unit conversions. Practical
work and problem solving across all the
sciences require the use of a range of
measurements, capacity to organise and
represent data in a range of forms and to
plot, interpret and extrapolate through
graphs. This also requires students to
estimate, solve ratio problems, use
formulae flexibly in a range of situations,
perform unit conversions, use and
interpret rates, scientific notation and
significant figures.