Thomas Jefferson
According to an article from The Mathematics Association of America (MAA), "a quantitatively literate person is a person who, with understanding can both read and represent quantitative information arising in his or her everyday life" (Richardson & McCallum, 2003).
Some elements that may factor in to a person being quantitatively literate are:
- confidence with mathematics
- cultural appreciation
- interpreting data
- logical thinking
- making decisions
- mathematics in context
- number sense
- practical skills
- prerequisite knowledge
- symbol sense (Richardson & McCallum, 2003).
The tricky thing about talking about quantitative literacy is the belief that it should be taught solely in the vacuum of a mathematics classroom. However, according to Richardson & McCallum (2003), "quantitative literacy is not simply a matter of knowing how to do the mathematics but also requires the ability to wed mathematics to content." In many ways, it can be likened to the belief that writing should be taught across curriculum in order for students to become better writers. Quantitative literacy taught across the different content areas will allows students to become more critical in their thinking.
Teaching quantitative literacy across the curriculum allows for teachers to incorporate matheracy, "the capability of inferring, proposing hypotheses, and drawing conclusions from data" into their lessons (D'Ambrosio, 2003). In addition, it allows students to have a conceptual understanding of mathematics in a variety of settings. Becoming someone who is quantitatively literate means he or she can understand how to stock market works, balance a checkbook, or understand the concept of risk (Colwell, 2003). All of these things are important in making a well-educated citizen who has the ability to think critically for themselves.
The definition of literacy from the Adult Education Admendments of 1988 reminds us that literacy "is an individual's ability to read, write, and speak English and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job and in society to achieve one's goals and to develop one's knowledge and potential" (Colwell, 2003). In some ways, Congress was ahead of their time because what their definition of literacy looks a lot like what people are calling 21st Century Skills.
Recently, in a professional learning community, I shared a mini-lesson on inferences using a scientific procedure of sorts for inferring what was happening in a literature passage to show that quantitative literacy can happen anywhere. The worksheet that accompanied the min-lesson/conversation is below:
Passage
From: The English Patient by Michael Ondaajte
She moves backwards a few feet and with a piece of white chalk draws a rectangle onto the wood floor. Then continues backwards, drawing more rectangles, so there is a pyramid of them, single then double then single, her left hand braced flat on the floor, her head down, serious…
She drops the chalk into the pocket of her dress. She stands and pulls up the looseness from her skirt and ties it around her waist. She pulls from another pocket a piece of metal and flings it out in front of her so it falls just beyond the farthest square.
She leaps forward, her legs smashing down, her shadow behind her curling into the depth of the hall. She is very quick, her tennis shoes skidding on the numbers she has drawn into each rectangle, one foot landing, then two feet, then one again until she reaches the last square.
Step 1: Form a hypothesis (inference) about what is happening in this passage.
Step 2: List all information that supports your hypothesis.
Step 3: Explain what is happening in the passage above. (Information from passage + Your knowledge = Inference or explanation)
Step 4: What steps did you take to figure out what was happening in this passage?
This mini-lesson was a great way to talk about inference, critical thinking skills, metacognition, and active reading strategies all in one -- plus it connects to another content area if you really think about it. The formula used to come up with a solid inference or explanation looks a lot like a basic math problem. Plus, the way in which different people determined was happening showed how each of us thinks critically when faced with different types of information. The teachers who read this passage noted that they made connections, visualized, determined important details, used prior knowledge, etc.
In fact, I look forward to watching this lesson in action in a math class. The teacher plans to use this passage, as well as a few others, to show how logical thinking skills/steps are essential in all areas of life not just in explaining a geometry proof. This use of the lesson is just one way of showing how literacy spiderwebs across all content areas in a variety of different and creative ways.
Using quantitative literacy in a variety of content areas is a great way to bridge the divide between literacy and content areas because it gets at an area of literacy (critical thinking, inferring, etc.) that isn't always address in a conscious way. In addition, it can help have the conversation with teachers that literacy is much bigger than just reading and writing or rather the idea that reading and writing encompass a lot more than we give them credit for in all we do.
Some other ideas for working on quantitative literacy in the classroom are:
- Using Data -- graphs, charts, statistics, etc. to get students to analyze what it is really telling us. In addition, looking at how certain media or other places use data incorrectly OR to get their point across. Getting our students to be critical consumers of information is extremely important in them becoming good citizens.
- Using Writing -- focus on having students write to learn versus learn to write. Ask them to explore their ideas through writing prior to sharing in discussions or discourses in the classroom. Allowing this think time might produce students who rely on their own thoughts rather than wait for his or her peers to suggest the answer. Let students get messy with their thinking on paper so they have something to go back to at the end to see if what they thought initially still holds true. Also, maybe even have them use "Silent Discussions" or "Written Conversations" to get the conversation going with peers in the classroom as well. This writing can happen by hand or through a technology resource like moodle, blog, wiki, etc.
- Modeling how to make Inferences -- using material you might encounter in your life -- share with students how you make inferences, hypotheses, and analyze data in your life. Share how it connects with skills both at school and in the world outside of school.
