028289 Numeracy for Lifelong and Lifewide Learning

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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

Description

Numeracy is sometimes understood as basic mathematical skills, however, the subject takes a broader sociocultural perspective that views numeracy as what people do with mathematical ideas, methods and skills in a wide range of activities in which people engage. Such a perspective acknowledges there are multiple numeracies, not a single numeracy because numeracy in practice is influenced by its particular social, cultural, political and historical context. This perspective also recognises that people develop numeracy in different ways because people bring different histories and purposes for developing their numeracy. The influence of globalisation on numeracy practices and mathematics education is also examined as an aspect of the politics of numeracy. Students examine the practical implications of a socio-cultural theorization of numeracy for their own teaching context.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

• Graduates have advanced skills and knowledge of linguistics, literacy and numeracy, pedagogy and curricula to teach in their specialised contexts. (1.1)
• Graduates are able to review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise ideas relevant to TESOL, literacy and/or numeracy teaching and apply these skills to problem solve in their professional practice. (2.1)
• Graduates are linguistically and culturally sensitive to local and international contexts of language education and can apply their sensitivity in their professional practice. (3.1)
• Graduates are able to engage with key issues in public debates about language, literacy and/or numeracy education. (5.1)
• Graduates have well-developed communication skills for relevant academic and professional contexts. (6.1)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

This subject addresses the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:

1. Professional Readiness

1.1 Graduates have advanced skills and knowledge of linguistics, literacy and numeracy, pedagogy and curricula to teach in their specialised contexts.

2. Critical and Creative Inquiry

2.1 Graduates are able to review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise ideas relevant to TESOL, literacy and/or numeracy teaching and apply these skills to problem solve in their professional practice.

3. International and Intercultural Engagement

3.1 Graduates are linguistically and culturally sensitive to local and international contexts of language education and can apply their sensitivity in their professional practice.

5. Active Citizenship

5.1 Graduates are able to engage with key issues in public debates about language, literacy and/or numeracy education.

6. Effective Communication

6.1 Graduates have well-developed communication skills for relevant academic and professional contexts.

Teaching and learning strategies

Teaching and learning will take place through weekly online lecture videos, four blocks of 3 hour tutorials and students' out of class learning activities.

Teaching strategies in this subject involve:

• Online lectures to introduce, contextualize and illustrate new theoretical ideas.
• Scaffolding of readings, learning activities and assessment tasks.
• Facilitation of student discussions and learning activities in tutorials.
• Formative feedback on students’ understanding of concepts and tasks.

Learning strategies in this subject involve:

• Group based investigative activities of numeracy practices.
• Independent reading of specified academic texts and numeracy investigations.
• Group based discussions about ideas from the readings.

Content (topics)

The content of the subject is organised around a range of questions about the relationship of numeracy to people’s lives and their socio-cultural contexts, including:

Unit 1: Why numeracy, and not maths?

• Numeracy for lifelong and lifewide learning
• Critical numeracy for social justice and empowerment

Unit 2: How can socio-cultural perspectives inform pedagogy?

• Funds of knowledge
• Multilingual pedagogies
• Decolonial pedagogies

Unit 3: How does numeracy help people negotiate their lives?

• Mathematical modelling and climate change numeracy
• Statistcal literacy and critical citizenship
• Financial numeracy for personal and community justice
• Workplace numeracy for the workplace and the worker
• Health numeracy

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Analytical report

Assessment task 2: Outline of a unit of work

Required texts

Students will be provided with a list of required weekly subject readings that will be available to them on CANVAS.

References

Abbott, E.A. (2006). Flatland: a romance of many dimensions. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Ascher, M. (2002). Mathematics elsewhere: An exploration of ideas across cultures. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Australian Curriculum. (n.d.) Numeracy. Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/GeneralCapabilities/numeracy/introduction/numeracy-across-the-curriculum

Baker, D. (1998). Numeracy as social practice. Literacy and Numeracy Studies, 8(1), 37-50.

Baker, D., Clay, J., & Fox, C. (Eds.). (2012). Challenging ways of knowing in English, mathematics and science. London: Routledge.

Barwell, R. (Ed.). (2009). Multilingualism in mathematics classrooms: Global perspectives. Bristol, U.K.: Multilingual Matters.

Barwell, R., Clarkson, P., Halai, A., Kazima, M., Moschkovich, J., Planas, N., Setati Phakeng, M., Valero, P. & Villavicencio Ubillús, M. (Eds.) (2016) Mathematics Education and Language Diversity: The 21st ICMI Study.Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Bazin, M., Tamez, M. & the Exploratorium Teacher Institute. (2002). Math and science across cultures: activities and investigations from the Exploratorium. New York: The New Press.

Benn, R. (1997). Adults count too: Mathematics for empowerment. Leicester, UK: NIACE.

Bigelow, B., & Swinehart, T. (eds.). (2014). A people’s curriculum for the earth: Teaching climate change and the environmental crisis. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.

Cockroft, W.H. (1982). Mathematics counts: Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Teaching of Mathematics in School. Retrieved from http://www.educationengland.org.uk/documents/cockcroft/cockcroft1982.html

Frankenstein, M.(1989). Relearning mathematics: A different third R - radical maths. Free Association.

Gicek, T.S., with United for a Fair Economy. (2007). Teaching economics as if people mattered: A curriculum guide to today’s economy. Boston, MA: United for a Fair Economy.

Gleeson-White, J. (2012). Double entry: How the merchants of Venice shaped the modern world – and how their invention could make or break the planet. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.

Gutstein, E. (2006). Reading and writing the world with mathematics: Toward a pedagogy for social justice. New York: Routledge.

Gutstein, E., & Peterson, B. (Eds.). (2005). Rethinking mathematics: Teaching social justice by numbers. Milwaukee, WI: Rethinking Schools.

Harris, M. (ed.). (1991). Schools, mathematics and work. London: Falmer.

Harris, P. (1991). Mathematics in a cultural context: Aboriginal perspectives on space, time and money. Geelong, Vic.: Deakin University Press.

Joseph, G.G. (2000). The crest of the peacock: Non-European roots of mathematics (new ed.). London: Penguin.

Irvine, J., Miles, I., & Evans, J. (Eds.). (1979). Demystifying social statistics. London: Pluto Press.

Monmonier, M. (2014). How to lie with maps. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Mukhopadhyay, S., & Roth, W.-M. (Eds.). (2012). Alternative forms of knowing (in) mathematics: Celebrations of diversity of mathematics practices. Rotterdam: Sense.

Nunes, T., & Bryant, P. (1996). Children doing mathematics. Oxford: Blackwell.

Pahl, K., & Rowsell, J. (Eds.). (2006). Travel notes from the New Literacy Studies. Clevendon, U.K.: Multilingual Matters.

Paulos, J.A. (1988). Innumeracy: Mathematical illiteracy and its consequences. London: Penguin.

Polster, B., & Ross, M. (2012). Math goes to the movies. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press.

Robles, B.J. (2014). Economic inclusion and financial education in culturally diverse communities: Leveraging cultural capital and whole-family learning. New Directors for Adult and Continuing Education 141(Spring). 57-66.

Rose, M. (2004). The mind at work: the intelligence of the American worker. New York, NY: Penguin.

Singh, S. (2013). The Simpsons and their mathematical secrets. New York: Bloomsbury.

Sklar, J.K., & Sklar, E.S. (2012). Mathematics in popular culture: Essays on appearances in film, fiction, games, television and other media. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co.

Skovsmose, O., & Greer, B. (Eds.). (2012). Operning the cage: criitque and politics of mathematics education. Rotterdam: Sense.

Skovsmose, O. (1994). Towards a philosophy of critical mathematics education. Dordrecht: Kluwer.

Steen, L.A. (Ed.). (2001). Mathematics and democracy: The case for quantitative literacy. USA: National Council on Education and the Disciplines.

Street, B. V., Baker, D., & Tomlion, A. (2008). Navigating numeracies: home/ school numeracy practices. (n.p.): Springer

Yasukawa, K., Rogers, A., Jackson, K., & Street, B.V. (Eds.). (2018). Numeracy as social practice: Global and local perspectives. London: Routledge.

Zaslavsky, C. (1999). Africa counts: Number and pattern in African cultures (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill Books.