Monitoring educational changes over many years is problematic when there are differences in curricula, the nature of the variables being measured, and the selection of participants. Rasch measurement techniques provide a procedure that enables each of these issues to be examined. Using archived and specially collected data, tests of numeracy…

In this article, the author argues that there is a big conceptual difference between number lines and number strips and that number lines should be consistently used as early as Y1. Her interest in the use of the number line as a powerful image of the real numbers, and how this is introduced in the early years, comes from her own experience as a…

If the goal is to promote mathematical thinking and help children become flexible problem solvers, then it is important to show students multiple representations of a problem. Because it is important to help students develop both counting-based and collections-based conceptions of number, teachers should be showing students both number line…

In this article, we provide an understanding of the term "numeracy" as it is used in Australia and a description of numeracy education in this country. In particular, we discuss the role of outcomes-based curriculum frameworks and outline the dominant teaching approaches. The focus is on students with learning difficulties and how they…

This paper reports on a longitudinal study that examines how a national reform introduced in England in the field of adult literacy, language, and numeracy is affecting teachers. The paper focuses on the use of a mixed methodology to explore teachers' attitudes to the reform and how these change over time. The quantitative strand includes the…

This article presents a new model of transcoding numbers from verbal to arabic form. This model, called ADAPT, is developmental, asemantic, and procedural. The authors' main proposal is that the transcoding process shifts from an algorithmic strategy to the direct retrieval from memory of digital forms. Thus, the model is evolutive, adaptive, and…

The purpose of the study was to explore the effectiveness of a program designed to improve the number skills of 5-year-olds. The program involved the withdrawal of children from the classroom in pairs to work with a specialist teacher using number books and games. Participants were 106 children who represented approximately the lower two-thirds of…

In this study, we use children's prior knowledge to support their development of cardinality understanding, based on Bermejo's (1996) model of cardinality understanding and on the distinction between cardinality (the number of items in a set is represented by a number-word) and the cardinality principle (the last number-word used in counting…

Background: Numeracy development is widely accepted as critical for adults in the general community which is equally the case for adults with Down syndrome. This paper reports some of the findings of a study including the research question: What is the justification for numeracy development for adults with Down syndrome? Investigating this…

Are abstract representations of number--representations that are independent of the particular type of entities that are enumerated--a product of human language or culture, or do they trace back to human infancy? To address this question, four experiments investigated whether human infants discriminate between sequences of actions (jumps of a…

This article describes an exploration activity involving Mayan numerals, which can be adapted by teachers at various levels to help students better understand the concept of place value and appreciate contributions to mathematics made by an indigenous Central American culture.

This module provides teachers with practical tools to improve the quality of teaching and learning activities and enable learners to achieve their objectives in literacy, language and numeracy. Unit 1 explores approaches that are particularly appropriate to adult learners, developing thinking skills and involving them in decision making and…

New times demand new interpretations of what it means to be numerate in a global world. Policy and curriculum documents uphold notions of capable young learners, actively engaged in investigative learning processes that will carry them on to competent and confident participation in the social and economic world of tomorrow. However, as the author…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review evidence related to the factors that influence people's understanding of health information and how miscommunication of health information can jeopardize people's health. Design/methodology/approach: A literature review was conducted of English language articles, cited in major literature databases…

Forty-five children with mathematics learning disabilities, with and without comorbid reading disabilities, were compared to 45 normally achieving peers in tasks assessing basic numerical skills. Children with mathematics disabilities were only impaired when comparing Arabic digits (i.e., symbolic number magnitude) but not when comparing…