Mathematics: Numeracy and the Learners 1

Mathematics: Numeracy and the Learners

Students Name

University/College
Mathematics: Numeracy and the Learners 2

Introduction

A survey on Skills for Life was carried out in 2011. This information will prove beneficial for

the government to ascertain the progress made in numeracy and literacy among adults since 2002.

Individuals in a full-time employment have better numeracy skills. The gross income also depends on

the numeracy level. The gap between the study in 2003 and 2011 was characterised by many changes.

A large number of the respondents do not use English as a first language (4 percent increase), and they

also identify and belonging to minority groups or are black (5 percent). There was an increase in the

literacy levels, which was stronger among the skill areas. According to Sir Clause Moser (1999), 40 per

cent of adults have issues with numeracy. The other half have low numeracy skills. They have issues

with basic calculations such as calculation the area of a room. There are many strategies being followed

by the government to deal with the issue of adult numeracy skills (Harding, et al., 2011). This essay will

consider the causes of the issues from both a survey and Moser report, and will sue as a group of adult

functional Math students in the context of the study.

Group profile

Many issues affect the learning group. The skill level is often affected by the demographics. The

first language was an issue common among most of the participants. This is related to their cultural

background. Specifically, the English native speakers were characterized with better scores in

comparison to the other learners. Additionally, those from the North East had poorer scores in

numeracy (Carpentieri, et al., 2010). Moreover, London emerged as the region that witnessed a decline

in numeracy performance since 2003, and this is attributed to the high number of immigrants living

there.

Gender is also a variable that was characterised with differing performance levels. The men had

better scores in numeracy, and more of them reached Level 2 in comparison to the women. Being a

female was often characterised with a weak score for the Level 1 and 2. The success in numeracy is also

a variable that affects employment status. The differences in numeracy performance are also related to

employment, with men in the age of 25-44 having a higher chance of having employed work. Women

will also avoid looking for paid work, considering their chance of finding employment is reduced.
Mathematics: Numeracy and the Learners 3

Specifically, 80 percent of women are able to achieve entry Level 3 in comparison to only 73% women

(Swan, 2006). Despite this, the performance of men has gone lower from 2003 to 2011.

The numeracy levels also differ greatly among the age groups. There were many differences among all

age groups, even though those in the 35-44 year age group performed similarly. Within this age group,

about 77per cent women and 79 per cent men were able to achieve Entry Level 3 and above.

Previous educational experience also affected the numeracy levels. Among the respondents, about 12

percent have previous educational experience, in comparison to only 10 percent men. The respondents

without any previous educational experience scored much lower, and this is a reason why the women

also performed poorly. The differences in education among the age group was often seen among the

55-65 age group. About 25% women did not have any qualification among this age group. In

comparison to only 16 percent of men.

Class was also a variable that affects the numeracy levels. For instance, those in the

professional and managerial class have the strongest numeracy levels while those in the working class

have the weakest numeracy levels. Since 2003, the professional and managerial group witnessed a

decrease in a number of people who were able to achieve Entry Level 3 and above (Parsons & Bynner,

2005). The proportion of achieving this level among the other group was still the same since 2003.

Personal issues such as learning and disabilities is also an issue that affects numeracy skills. The

learning issues often arose in regards to when a respondent finished their education early. The age

group that consider their numeracy skills as better include those within the 20-24 year age group. The

individual who finished school at before or at16 years or are unemployed also had a poor rating.

Additionally, people with disabilities also have poorer numeracy skills (5 percent). In comparison, this

is only at 1 percent among people without a disability. There was also the issue of negative attitudes on

learning among certain age groups. About 4 percent of the population believe that they have no

confidence in acquiring new knowledge. This is common among women, the unemployed, and those

with disabilities. Disabilities were often linked to learning difficulties, and this negatively affected the

individuals numeracy skills (Carpentieri, et al., 2010).

Mathematics: Numeracy and the Learners 4

Low numeracy skills negatively affect the individual, especially those in adulthood. Poor

numeracy skills affect all aspects of the individual. It will negatively affect them in terms of education,

employability and success in the society. These individuals often leave full-time education quite early,

and this will continue to affect them negatively. For many of them, it will be difficult to find gainful

employment. They will often find poorly paid and low skilled jobs, which lack any chance of promotion

or training. Many jobs require skilled personnel and numeracy is an important variable. Without such

skills, more people will be unemployed as the unskilled manual jobs are becoming less (Parsons &

Bynner, 2005).

Among all respondents, educational achievement is often a factor that leads to poor

numeracy. According to Parsons (2006), about 90 percent of men and 70 percent of women with poor

numeracy skills left school at 16 years of age. The history of the individual especially based on family

support and background affects the numeracy skills. Those from a poor background will often lack

educational opportunities that would have gone a long way in improving their numeracy skills. This

would mean that they have a disadvantaged background, and lack educational support from parents

(Bynner & Parsons, 2008). Furthermore, their parents are unaware of the importance of education, and

this would create a cycle where the children will end up with poor numeracy skills like their parents.

The lack of motivation is a factor that led to the poor numeracy performance.

Teaching and learning strategies

Various teaching and learning strategies can prove beneficial in meeting the needs of those

who have poor numeracy skills, or ensuring that the numeracy skills will improve. This will entail a

math learning culture for the adult, maths learners. Specifically, it will be through a task-oriented

learning that creates an opportunity to have a democratic and socially inclined learning. The learning

objectives will first be outlined to provide a way to understand how the learning process will occur.

(DfEE, 2001) A teaching strategy will be vital to ensure the transfer of mathematical concepts, and

long-term learning. The learners should be able to integrate new information and learning experiences

into their current conceptual frameworks. Mathematics, and more specifically numeracy skills, is an

important component to be successful in society. Mathematics should not be considered as an absolute,

Mathematics: Numeracy and the Learners 5

it the only means of reading and writing the world. An approach in teaching mathematics includes the

National Numeracy Strategy and Framework for Teaching Mathematics (DfEE, 2001). This strategy

provides a pedagogic recommendation to the curriculum. Teaching should follow a deliberate process to

ensure that learners are prepared to be productive members of the society.

Discussions are an important characteristic of teaching and learning mathematics. It should be

allowed, even though it should not be encouraged. Discussions will allow the students to understand

their limitations in numerical knowledge, and areas that need improvement. This would prove

beneficial, especially in cases where the child is facing more problems with their mathematics.

Students often follow their own unique strategies in the learning process. This is effective as it allows

them to have a better understanding of the concepts taught. The classroom written methods have

emerged as very different from the mental and oral methods that are used in normal contexts such as

outdoor discussions at the marketplace. Specifically, this is characterized with individuals who are able

to handle complex calculations but are not in a position to use the strategies taught in school. The

emergence of the calculation has changed the teaching of mathematics. Essentially, teaching will evolve

into mastery where the learner will use what is taught in a generalized way to come up with a

conclusion to a mathematical problem (Swan, 2006). The learner comes up with a criterion of judgment,

where they replace once conception with another.

A teaching strategy will involve effective planning to determine the abilities and needs of the

learners. All stakeholders in the process should also share the goals of the learning process, and this

would apply in coming up with ways to improve the process. All the learners should also be encouraged

to make good process. This should not be limited based on their ability. There should be differentiation

is the classes. This acts as a way for the teachers to locate students who require additional help, and this

would improve their performance since the teachers will ensure that their numeracy skills are at par

with the rest of the class. Additionally, those who have better numerical skills can be challenged. All

learners should be allocated the necessary resources to ensure that their numeracy skills improve with

time. The use of success criteria has also proven beneficial in the teaching process. This acts as a

reference point that ensures the teacher is aware of the progress of the student. There should also be a
Mathematics: Numeracy and the Learners 6

consolidation of learning when the lesson ends. All learners will be able to understand the goals of the

class, and would provide feedback. The teachers to make plans for lessons to be carried out in future

can use this (Moser, 1991). Teaching consistency is also an integral aspect. The teacher and school

should ensure that they organize and prioritize learning on the school day. It is important to prevent

interruptions during the learning process. The pupil attendance should also be at a maximum during the

entire period to guarantee academic success. Teacher attendance is also importance, and this would

maintain the consistency of the learning process.

Students have the ability to analyse different interpretations, choose different results and make a

choice on the most viable resolution. This concurs with the constructivist theory. The results do not

arise from the teachers views, but rather arise when tasks lead to a disagreement between the learners.

The teacher can make suggestions on what the learner can do but the learners can also play a role in

coming up with the best strategies that would improve their numeracy skills (Moser, 1991).

Interaction also an approach to teaching and learning. This involves constructive and critical exchanges.

This is where challenges are detailed while alternatives resolutions are produced. This also involves

decisions making by the individual, short exchanges. Moreover, there is a cumulative talk where there is

a positive experience where one speaker build on hat the other said. This is vital in an interaction and is

often characterised with confirmations, elaborations and repetitions (Colwell, 2002). The strategies

outlined above are effective strategies in teaching and learning of numerical skills among adult learners.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a large number of the sample population in the UK are characterised with

numeracy issues. This is comprised of people within the age group of adult learners. There are faced

with any numeracy issues, with a group in the population facing more challenges. The issues are

influenced by various variable such as class, age, gender and previous educational experiences. Other

issues also affect the respondents such as learning and physical disabilities. Some of the respondents

are not motivated and leave school early. This s a setback to their numeracy skills. Furthermore, it

means that they lack employment opportunities that require highly skilled personnel. A large number of

the respondents who lack numeracy skills are attributed to lack of education or completing education at
Mathematics: Numeracy and the Learners 7

an early age. In this regard, learning and teaching strategies will prove beneficial to improve the

outcomes. Teaching strategies will ensure that learners will play a greater role in the learning process,

and would gain more. Discussions, interactions and consistency by the teachers are strategies that could

be used to improve numeracy skills. This will ensure that the issue of lack of poor numerical skills is

deal with, as well as guaranteeing that the learners will become productive members in the society.
Mathematics: Numeracy and the Learners 8

References list

Bynner, J. & Parsons, S., 2008. Illuminating Disadvantage. 1st ed. London: NRDC.

Carpentieri, J., Litster, J. & Frumkin, L., 2010. Adult Numeracy Review of Research. London: NRDC.

Colwell, D., 2002. What Numeracy Skills do Adults need for Life?. London: ALM.

DfEE, 2001. Key Stage 3 National Strategy: a framework for teaching mathematics. London:

Department for Education and Employment.

Harding, C., Romanou, E., Williams, J., Peters, M., Winkley, J., Burke, P., Hamer, J., Jeram, K.,

Nelson, N., Rainbow, B., Bond, B., Shay, M., 2011. Skills for Life Survey: A Survey of Literacy,

Numeracy and ICT Levels in England. London: Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Moser, C., 1991. The Moser Report Summary. [Online]

Available at www.lifelonglearning.co.uk/mosergroup/freshsum.pdf

Parsons, S. & Bynner, J., 2005. Does Numeracy Matter More?. London: NRDC.

Swan, M., 2006. Collaborative Learning in Mathematics. London: NRDC and NIACE.
Mathematics: Numeracy and the Learners 9

Appendix of Learners

(Learners names have been changed to protect anonymity.) Attend 3 hours lesson a week

Name of Learner Age Gender Maths Level Learning and

physical

disabilities

Aicha 45 Female E2/E3 Dyslexia/ESOL Married/ full-

time mum

Paige 27 Female L1 Dyslexia Single

Katty 34 Female E3 ESOL Married/ full-

time

employment

David 25 Male L1 ESOL Single

Oliver 32 Male L1 ESOL Married/ full-

time

employment

Frank 47 Male E3/L1 ESOL Married/ full-

time

employment