- Special to ABC Life Literacy Canada -
Numeracy is an essential skill, not only for individuals who want to participate fully in a modern technological society, but also for Canada as a whole, as increasingly high levels of numeracy are fundamental to many areas of the economy. Yet evidence has been mounting for a number of years that many Canadians, both children and adults, are lacking basic levels of numeracy. This difference—between necessary numeracy and actual numeracy—can be described as a numeracy gap, a gap that needs understanding, explaining and most important of all, closing.
- The 2013 OECD survey of adult skills shows more than half of Canadians now scoring below the level required for full participation in a modern technological society, a decline in the level of numeracy a decade ago.
- The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) compares the numeracy of 15 year-olds internationally; in this study, students have shown a steady decline from 2003 to 2012.
Numeracy is related to mathematics, but is not exactly the same thing. Where mathematics is abstract, numeracy is concrete. Where mathematics is about conceptual knowledge and procedural skill, numeracy is about using these to solve practical problems. Where mathematics education is about obtaining correct answers to simplified problems, acquiring numeracy is about fluency and confidence in grappling with real-world and often open-ended problems. Where the agenda of mathematics education is drawn from the canon of mathematical knowledge, the process of becoming numerate draws from the tasks and challenges of everyday life. Numeracy is, in summary, the ability and the confidence to use mathematical knowledge and skills in concrete real-world situations.
It follows that while relatively few students—those entering the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)—require an educational background in relatively advanced mathematics, all students require strong numeracy skills. Some of these students will apply these in career or occupation-specific contexts (such as business, health care, social services, or teaching) but all require them for everyday living, including personal finance (financial literacy), leisure activities and parenting (life literacy). Numeracy for all is therefore key to Canada’s future and to the wellbeing of its citizens.
Numeracy (as well as literacy, of course) is both an economic and social imperative as research has shown.
- A Stanford University study, using OECD data, shows that a modest increase in numeracy scores corresponds with almost 20% higher wages.
- A Harvard University study estimates that poor mathematics skills in the United States could cost that country’s economy $75 trillion over the next 80 years.
- A UK report entitled “The Fear Factor” argues that “mathematics is a social justice issue” because outdated science, entrenched attitudes and the lack of role models have systematically disadvantaged women and girls. Similar factors can account for the lower levels of numeracy among aboriginal people and members of some ethnic groups.
The most important step is one of changing public and private attitudes. A lack of literacy is often a matter of personal shame and embarrassment in our society, yet a corresponding lack of numeracy is not. Indeed, many people openly claim to be unable to do mathematics. This is not an attitude found in Canada alone; it is encountered in many western (but few Asian) societies and it is one that we dismiss as the “myth of the math gene”. Instead, we invite Canadians to adopt and act on the following two principles:
- Everyone can be numerate as well as literate;
- Everyone needs to be numerate, as well as literate, to function fully in the 21st century.
Changing public attitudes to align with these principles is key to closing the numeracy gap. At numeracygap.ca there is a movement to recommend a national public awareness campaign. The aims of this campaign would be to promote numeracy for all, to dispel “the myth of the math gene,” and to raise the numeracy expectations of parents and students, employers and employees, and educational institutions and those who teach in them.
Along with this public awareness campaign, there is a call to the Ontario government to set up a Roundtable on Numeracy, to develop a comprehensive strategy for closing the numeracy gap and to advise on its implementation. This call should be put out to all provinces and territories. While schools are central to closing the numeracy gap, they cannot be left to solve the problem alone. There are roles for the private sector, for the non-profit sector, as well as for the public sector. For this reason, a roundtable with a broad range of stakeholders is an appropriate vehicle to design and oversee change. ABC Life Literacy Canada could be a key player in making this discussion become a reality.
Graham Orpwood is Professor Emeritus of Education at York University in Toronto. This article is based on a more detailed policy paper at www.numeracygap.ca.
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