Capacity

Building
Series
SPECIAL EDITION #28

Supporting Numeracy
Building a Community of Practice K12
A Call to Action
Just as literacy has become every
teachers responsibility, so numeracy
needs to be seen as integral to every
learning area.
(Thornton & Hogan, 2004, p. 313)

Mathematics is everywhere and its importance grows exponentially. Researchers in

fact describe numeracy skills as a new currency of modern societies around the world
(OECD, 2010, p. 33). In large and small aspects of daily life from understanding
election results to developing a business plan to managing a household we rely
on mathematical data, projections, inferences and systematic thinking. That is why
numeracy like literacy is considered so fundamental. Whether the call to action
is mathematical literacy, quantitative literacy, everyday math or numeracy,
our challenge as K to 12 educators is to help prepare all our graduates to apply
mathematics in the context of their everyday world.
This monograph has been developed to support the Ontario conversation about
numeracy to spark dialogue and debate on how to develop a mathematical habit
of mind, not just for students but for educators as well, to move the math beyond
the walls of the mathematics program to teaching and learning across the curriculum
and across the day.

About Numeracy and Mathematics

Numeracy and mathematics are related. On the one hand, skills like critical thinking
and problem-solving, applying technology and understanding data require a solid
grounding in mathematical concepts and procedures. On the other hand, knowledge of
mathematical concepts and procedures alone is not enough to guarantee numeracy
(State of Victoria Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, 2009, p. 6).
Some researchers suggest it is helpful to think of mathematics as a well-established

August 2012
ISSN: 1913 8482 (Print)
ISSN: 1913 8490 (Online)

The Capacity Building Series is produced by the Student

Achievement Division to support leadership and instructional
effectiveness in Ontario schools. The series is posted at:
www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/.
For information: lns@ontario.ca

Finding new ways to work

together:
In order for our efforts with numeracy to
be realized within K12, we will need to find
different ways to work with teachers to address
matters of content knowledge, classroom
pedagogy, resources and assessment.
(Friesen, 2003, p 2)
Consider:
How might we develop a shared under
standing of what it means to be numerate?
Do we have a shared understanding of
what numeracy will mean for our students
future success?
Do we have a shared understanding
of the role of numeracy across the
subjects/disciplines?
How might our team collectively build on
the mathematical capacities of our students
so that they become confident, innovative
problem-solvers in a variety of situations?
How might we create an environment
where teachers and students alike are
active learners of mathematics?
How might we create an environment
where all educators are responsible for
numeracy development?

discipline and numeracy as necessarily inter-disciplinary. Steen suggests that

numeracy, like writing, must permeate the curriculum. When it does, it will
enhance students understanding of all subjects and their capacity to lead informed
lives (Steen, 2001, p. 115).

Creating a School-wide Numeracy Culture

It takes ongoing, intentional work to create and sustain a school culture that recognizes,
emphasizes and reinforces a cross-curricular approach to numeracy. As teams explore
a school-wide capacity-building approach to numeracy, they are not expected to
replace the special expertise of the mathematics teacher but to encourage their
colleagues to highlight the math in all subject domains. Victoria, Australia has
taken this approach, encouraging the liaison between teachers of mathematics
and other school staff as a way to foster complementary learning (2009, p. 57).
While mathematics teachers have the primary responsibility for developing
students mathematical understanding, all teachers can work together to address
the mathematical learning across the disciplines and across the day.

Applying the Math

Numeracy is about doing the math about recognizing and using mathematics in
a variety of contexts that range from the everyday to the unusual; its about being
able to use mathematics as a tool to explore problems and situations. There is a vast
array of opportunities to explore numeracy in the curriculum in every subject area.
A problem such as the one outlined below allows students to engage in numeracy
skills within the science and the physical education and health curriculum.
When teaching mathematics is seen as a way of teaching people how to think,
writes Joan Richards, its implications spread throughout the curriculum and it has
a place in every class (2001, p. 36). OECD researchers use the term authentic to
describe using mathematics to genuinely solve a problem as opposed to using it
as a vehicle for practising some mathematics (2006, p. 81). Here is one example
of an authentic problem (adapted from the 2006 Programme for International
Assessment [PISA]):

For many years, the relationship between a persons recommended maximum

heart rate and that persons age was described by the following formula:
Recommended maximum heart rate = 220 age
Recently the formula has been modified. The new formula is as follows:
Recommended maximum heart rate = 208 (0.7 x age)
a) How does the new formula impact the calculation of recommended
maximum heart rate?
b) Why do you think the formula was modified?
You may wish to try solving the heart rate problem, noting the many ways that
your colleagues approach the solution.

Focusing on the Instructional Core

Developing Numeracy across the Curriculum

You can work through the considerations using the

heart rate problem or you may prefer to use another
real-life problem.

1. Real-life context
Students require ongoing opportunities to apply mathematics
to both familiar and unfamiliar situations in order to develop
a mathematical habit of mind. A students personal or
school life, his or her work or leisure life or his or her involvement in the community or even society at large are all
domains that can be considered as situations of real life
context (Steen, 2001). Greater connections to these domains
lead to greater relevance and engagement for the student.
The heart rate problem affords students a real-life context
their health and well-being to think mathematically.

2. Mathematical content knowledge

When their content knowledge is more explicit, better
connected and more integrated, educators teach with
more confidence, represent the subject more richly and
are more open to students questions and comments.
When their knowledge is more limited, they tend to
de-emphasize interactive discourse in favour of set work
assignments, and in general, portray the subject as a
collection of static, factual knowledge (Brophy, 1991,
p.352). As part of the call to action for mathematical
literacy, we need to be open as educators to pulling
apart and unpacking the mathematics our students will
be encountering in subjects and courses across the day.
The heart rate problem affords students an opportunity to
think about the larger ideas of change and relationships.
In part (a) of the problem, for example, students are asked
to evaluate two formulas about the proportional relationship between heart rate and age. There are a number of
ways to think through the formulas. One way is to use a
graph to represent the formulas and then compare them.

220

Maximum heartbeat

The following three considerations (1) real-life context,

(2) mathematical content knowledge and (3) mathematical
processes allow educators to plan a wide array of
experiences related to numeracy across the curriculum.

200
180
160
140
120
100

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Age
New formula
Original formula

By returning the problem to its real-life context, we can

see that the new formula suggests that the recommended
maximum heart rate is lower for people under 40 and
higher for those over 40.

3. Mathematical Processes
Doing mathematics in context requires a repertoire of
cognitive strategies that we can draw on as needed.
The repertoire enables us to recognize when mathematics
might help us solve a problem or interpret a situation
and then select and apply the appropriate mathematics
strategy. In the Ontario mathematics curriculum, seven
processes are identified as essential for acquiring and
applying mathematics. These mathematical processes
(1) problem solving, (2) reasoning and proving, (3) reflecting,
(4) selecting tools and computational strategies,
(5) connecting, (6) representing and (7) communicating
create the students numeracy toolkit. Educators will
recognize that all of the processes apply to different
areas of the curriculum and to real-life situations.
In the heart rate problem, students can represent the
relationship between age and heart rate by using a
graphing strategy. By connecting their knowledge
of point of intersection they can then justify how the
new formula impacts the calculation of the recommended
maximum heart rate.

Moving Forward
Next Steps
Numeracy as well as literacy is fundamental to student success.

Equal and Supporting Partners

Numeracy is not the same as mathematics,
nor is it an alternative to mathematics.
Rather, it is an equal and supporting partner
in helping students learn to cope with the
quantitative demands of modern society.
(Steen, 2001, p. 115)

The process of building a community of numeracy practice requires a collaborative

approach; it begins in conversation about how we might support one another in
working with students to develop their full potential in mathematics and it leads
to further exploration of the numeracy links across disciplines. When we help our
students make numeracy connections throughout the day, we are engaging them
in understanding the many dimensions of our interconnected world.
Questions for Reflection
How might research findings support a deeper understanding of mathematics
in different contexts?
How might professional learning time be structured for educators to develop
a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and numeracy connections?
Are there other members of the community who could be invited to the
numeracy conversation?

References and Related Reading

Brophy, J. E. (1991). Conclusion to advances in research on teaching:
Teachers knowledge of subject matter as it relates to teaching
practice. In J. E. Brophy (Ed.), Advances in research on teaching:
Teachers subject-matter knowledge and classroom instruction
(pp. 347362). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
Council of Australian Governments. (2008). National numeracy
review: Final report. Commissioned by the Human Capital Working
Group, Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra.
De Lang, J. (2001). Mathematics for literacy. In B. L. Madison, &
L.A. Steen (Eds.), Quantitative literacy: Why numeracy matters
for schools and colleges. Proceedings of the National Forum on
Quantitative Literacy (pp. 75 89). National Forum on Quantitative
Literacy. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC.
Friesen, S. (2003). Numeracy and beyond: Developing a mathematical
habit of mind in K12. Galileo Educational Network, University
of Calgary.
Madison, B. L., & Steen, L.A. (2001). Quantitative literacy: Why
numeracy matters for schools and colleges. Proceedings of
the National Forum on Quantitative Literacy. National Forum
on Quantitative Literacy,. National Academy of Sciences,
Washington, DC.
ODonoghue, J. (2002). Numeracy and mathematics. Irish Math. Soc.
48th ser. 4755. Trinity College, Dublin.
OECD. (2010). PISA 2009 Results: What students know and can do
Student performance in reading, mathematics and science
(Vol. I). http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/48852548.pdf
OECD. (2006). PISA Assessing scientific, reading and mathematical
literacy: A framework for PISA. http://www.oecd.org/pisa/
pisaproducts/pisa2006/37464175.pdf

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2010). Full-day early learning

Kindergarten program (draft version). Toronto: Queens Printer
for Ontario.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2005). The Ontario curriculum,
Grades 18: Mathematics (revised). Toronto: Queens Printer
for Ontario.
Ministry of Education. (2005). The Ontario curriculum, Grades 9 and
10: Mathematics (revised). Toronto: Queens Printer for Ontario.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The Ontario curriculum,
Grade 9 Mathematics Mathematics Transfer Course, Applied
to Academic. Toronto: Queens Printer for Ontario.
Ontario Ministry of Education. (2007). The Ontario curriculum,
Grades 11 and 12: Mathematics (revised). Toronto: Queens
Printer for Ontario.
Richards, J. L. (2001). Connecting mathematics with reason.
In L. Steen (Ed.), Mathematics and democracy: The case for
quantitative literacy. U.S.A.: National Council on Education
and the Disciplines.
State of Victoria Department of Education and Early Childhood
Development). (2009). Numeracy in practice: Teaching, learning
and using mathematics. Education Policy and Research Division
Office for Policy, Research and Innovation, Department of Education
and Early Childhood Development.
Steen, L. A. (Ed.). (2001). Mathematics and democracy: The case
for quantitative literacy. The National Council on Education and
the Disciplines, US.
Thornton, S. & Hogan, J. (2004). Orientations to numeracy:
Teachers confidence and disposition to use mathematics
across the curriculum. Proceedings of the 28th Conference of
the International Group the Psychology of Mathematics Education
(pp. 313320).