What is Mathematical Literacy

Have you every stopped to look up mathematical literacy? Have you determined what elements you need to cover for your students to be mathematically literate?  Well, go no further because this answers those questions.

For a student to be mathematically literate they need:

1.  To be fluent in basic facts and computation.  It is important for students to be fluent in their basic facts because higher level math is built upon those basic facts.  In addition, fluency indicates that they've stored the information in their long term memories where it is easily accessed.  This means, they have freed up space in their working memory for higher level mathematics and to increase their problem solving abilities.

When a student is not fluent with the basic facts, they often get confused when working through more complex problems and are often lost.  This may be why my students who have to use their fingers to add or multiply often are not sure what their next step is.  These students struggle working their way through the process and often give up.

Furthermore, when they are not fluent in their basic facts, they focus on the calculations and often are unable to finish the longer assignments.  This can extend to other topics such as science or geography because they are focused on completing the math rather than seeing the whole topic.  One last thing, a students fluency in the basic facts can determine how well they do later in life.

2.  To learn math concepts beyond arithmetic.  It is this that helps students learn number sense so they know if an answer they found is reasonable or off base. When a student has number sense, they are able to think more flexibly and they become more confident.  When they lack number sense, they also lack the basic foundation needed for simple arithmetic.

3. To connect math to other subjects.  Its important for students to see that math is used in other subjects such as science, geography, architecture, business, and other things.  It becomes so much more relevant when they see math outside of class.

4. To reason mathematically. This means that students can follow arguments developed by others and create their own to prove or justify their answers.  A student who can reason mathematically can also look at questions and propositions in different ways, create and test hypothesis, figure out counter examples, draw conclusions, and figure out different ways to approach problems when stuck.  In other words, it helps us make sense of the world.

One way to help develop this is to begin with an open ended problem or an exploratory exercise so students have experienced the concept before presenting the theoretical segment.

5. To communicate using graphs, models, symbols, and language.  This is a way for students to exchange ideas and knowledge using both spoken and nonverbal methods.  It is important to help students develop this ability with modeling and practice.  Its a bit different communicating mathematical ideas than it is ideas from literature.  

In addition, when students are able to communicate using graphs, models, symbols, and language, it improves their understanding of mathematical concepts by melding their ideas with others.  It expands and refines their understanding.

6. To solve problems confidently.  When a student is able to solve problems confidently, they are more sure of themselves and open to learning more.  They are not restricted by their lack of ability but able to move forward to and be willing to try problems that may be a bit more difficult.

So know you know the six parts of mathematical literacy.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.