HI Pam! And All, One of the major ways I lost my math phobia was when I began to understand its processes as I used manipulatives while teaching math to other adults. One of the major ways I had accumulated math phobia a few decades earlier was through being taught in ways that gave me no understanding. ON a different note though, I must add that the other and equally important way I developed my math fears was because I had not learned math facts at the point they had become important for the ability to “speak math” with fluency and automaticity.  As a reading teacher, I know that to read in English without stumbling, one must know what sounds to say for the symbols in the text and this skill needs to become automatic. For me, not knowing the math facts prevented me from becoming fluent as much as the lack of understandings. I don’t know but perhaps use of manipulatives might have helped me to learn those facts better.  A related point to math attitudes is the gender issue. As a (girl) child I was told that girls weren’t good at math. This problem is not entirely gone in the younger generations and may certainly still be a factor for people my age.  Regarding the term literacy to include math, I think this was brought about as a reminder that we do need math to survive in our everyday lives. I agree that students will not recognize math as a part of literacy though. However, they will not recognize the word numeracy either.  My son is a computer animator and was so surprised when entering the field, he found that one used all kinds of math, especially geometry to create the work. I though it was a shame that these real life applications are not made apparent during the teaching of math or whatever it is called. Knowing the relevance of processes to interests of students (how about relevance of fractions to music, for example) will also help with dispositions.   Mary Schneckenburger 

Program Coordinator

Literacy Volunteers-Androscoggin

Auburn Hall, Court St., Auburn, Maine 04350

mschnec at juno.com

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Mdr151 at aol.com 
  To: specialtopics at nifl.gov 
  Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 9:46 PM
  Subject: [SpecialTopics 688] Re: "numeracy" vs. "mathematical literacy"


  In a message dated 9/18/2007 8:01:59 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, djrosen at comcast.net writes:
    . At the end of the paper you write about the importance of a  
    “productive disposition” that is, learners having beliefs in their  
    ability to do numeracy and in its usefulness to them, and having  
    positive feelings about numeracy. Is this, the affective part of this  
    component, more important than the other components?  Does it need to  
    be addressed first, or is it addressed through a teaching and  
    learning process that weaves together all components equally? Can  
    this weaving process take place for learners who have very negative  
    feelings about their ability to do numeracy?

  I have been lurking reading all the wonderful responses but do want to weigh in on this one.  I believe the productive disposition to be very important.  Brain research has concluded that most learning passes through the emotional part of the brain first. If a student is stressed or scared, the system shuts down. However to overcome the "fear factor", I believe addressing the other subcomponents especially conceptual understanding help to lessen the fear.  Many students that I have surveyed say they don't like math or fear math because they never understood it. Developing conceptual understanding either through use of manipulatives, journal writing, discovery labs, etc. helps students feel engaged and less fearful of a subject they previously had felt doomed to stumble through.

  Pam Meader
  Math Chair, Portland Adult Education
  Portland, Maine
  Past President Adult Numeracy Network





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