Literacy in Mathematics
A Literacy is defined as the ability to read, write and use arithmetic. Disciplinary literacy refers to the specifics of reading, writing, and communicating in a discipline. It focuses on the ways of thinking, the skills, and the tools that are used by experts in the disciplines (Shanahan & Shanahan, 2012). Each discipline (e.g., science, math, history) has a specialized vocabulary and components that are unique to that discipline. Secondary students need to be taught what is unique about each discipline and the “nuanced differences in producing knowledge via written language across multiple disciplines” (Moje, 2007, p. 9). Content literacy strategies typically include ways to approach text in any discipline; these strategies help with comprehension but are not sufficient for an in-depth understanding of a particular discipline.
This literacy strategies include predicting what the text might be about before reading, paraphrasing during reading, and summarizing after reading. However, in addition to these strategies, students must learn and use specific strategies to comprehend complex text in the disciplines When this is focused to a subject i.e. mathematics defined as Mathematical literacy. Mathematical literacy is understand, and apply mathematics, not only in the classroom, but in every day lives. By incorporating reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critical thinking in instruction, educators provide students with opportunities to develop literacy in mathematics instruction.
The goal of using literacy skills in mathematics is to foster a deeper conceptual understanding of the mathematics. Engaging in a multitude of critical thinking experiences will allow students to :
.Construct viable arguments through proof and reasoning.
.Critique the reasoning of others.
.Process and apply reasoning from others.
Mathematical literacy can be easily understand in various situation:
- Problem Solving and Perseverance:
Writing is a process of making linguistic choices. Problem solving in mathematics is a process of choosing an appropriate strategy. The writing process can be used to further understand the
mathematics and persevere in the problem solving process.
2. Reasoning and Explaining:
Reasoning and explaining mathematical concepts is simply writing or speaking an argument utilizing information from various mathematical texts.
3. Modeling and Using Tools:
Mathematical modeling is recognizing and clarifying mathematical structures that are embedded in other contexts, formulating a problem in mathematical terms, using mathematical strategies to reach a solution, and interpreting the solution in the context of the original problem. Mathematical modeling can be view as reading or interpreting “mathematical text”.
4. Generalizing and Seeing Structure:
Text structures refer to the way authors organize information in text. Recognizing mathematical structures is critical to understanding general mathematical concepts and extending those concepts to gain further insight into the vast realms of mathematical.
Mathematical literacy therefore involves more than executing mathematical procedures and possessions of basic knowledge that would allow a citizen to get by. Mathematical literacy is mathematical knowledge, methods, and processes applied in various contexts in insightful and reflective ways. According to de Lange, mathematical literacy is the overarching literacy that includes numeracy, quantitative literacy and spatial literacy. Each of these type of literacy empowers the individual in making sense of and understanding aspects of e world and his/her experiences.
Spatial literacy empowers an individual to understand the three-dimensional world in which he/she lives and move. This necessitates understanding of properties of objects, the relative positions of objects and its effect on one’s visual perception, the creation of all kinds of three-dimensional paths and routes, navigational practices, etc. Numeracy is the ability to handle numbers and data in order to evaluate statements regarding problems and situations that needs mental processing and estimating real-world context. Quantitative literacy expands numeracy to include use of mathematics in dealing with change, quantitative relationships and uncertainties.
So how is literacy in mathematics different from other disciplines? In Teaching Disciplinary Literacy to Adolescents: Rethinking Content-Area Literacy, Timothy & Cynthia Shanahan, (2008), Harvard Educational Review stated that, “The end result is that the literacy demands on students are unique, depending on the discipline they are studying (p.48) and that math reading requires a precision of meaning, and each word must be understood specifically in service to that particular meaning” (p.49). Mathematicians are typically adamant that the precise\mathematical definition needed to be learned-memorized, as it were-in order to obtain true understanding of the mathematical meaning in contrast to its more general meaning. For example, a student must know that prime refers to a positive integer not divisible by another positive integer (without a remainder) except by itself and by 1. Prime also means perfect, chief, or of the highest grade, but none of these non mathematical meanings aids in understanding the mathematical meaning. (p.52)
In What Is Disciplinary Literacy and Why Does It Matter, Timothy & Cynthia Shanahan, (2012), Top Lang Disorders, make a strong distinct in the difference between content- area versus disciplinary literacy, “Content area literacy focuses on study skills that can be used to help students learn from subject matter specific texts. Disciplinary literacy, in contrast, is an emphasis on the knowledge and abilities possessed by those who create, communicate, and use knowledge within the disciplines” (p.8). The difference is that content literacy emphasizes techniques that a novice might use to make sense of a disciplinary text (such as how to study a history book for an examination), whereas disciplinary literacy emphasizes the unique tools that the experts in a discipline use to engage in the work of that discipline (p.8). As a true “math person”, I am beginning to understand that all my successful studies of math were truly a result of my teachers using the specific math discipline text i.e. algebra, geometry, calculus, etc. It was always a little easier to read in math class than say English for me. I would memorize the math specific symbols like π, ≠, ∞, f, ≤, ˃, and they would become my “new” vocabulary for solving problems.
Recommendations
Shanahan, Timothy & Cynthia, (2008). Harvard Educational Review, Vol 78, №1, Teaching Disciplinary Literacy to Adolescents: Rethinking Content-Area Literacy
Shanahan, Timothy & Cynthia, (2012). Top Lang Disorders, Vol 32, №1, What is Disciplinary Literacy and Why Does it Matter
Moje,( 2007)
Shanahan & Shanahan,(2012)
