Discusses the distribution of primes and focuses directly on one particular recurring pattern among them. (Author/NB)

Collaborative learning proved to be a key strategy in overcoming fear of math and developing adult numeracy skills. Working in groups enabled sharing, discovery, and reflection on the learning process in a confidence-building atmosphere. (SK)

Open-ended tasks for developing numeracy skills reflect the fact that real-life math problems are seldom closed or have a single right answer. The "giving a party" problem shows how different math concepts and problem-solving skills can be brought out in open-ended tasks. (SK)

Adults need both functional math skills (numeracy) and knowledge of mathematical concepts for full participation in society. Development of critical numeracy skills should take account of differing skill levels and the coping strategies adults already use. (SK)

Examined analog number representations in 5- to 7- year-olds. Found that subjects accurately estimated rapidly presented groups of 5 to 11 items. Children's data were qualitatively and to some degree quantitatively similar to adult data, with one exception. The ratio of the standard deviation of estimates to mean estimates decreased with age.…

Western Australia Department of Training is supporting a Literacy and Numeracy Pilot in which providers identify the literacy and numeracy skills their projects address, how skill needs are assessed, and what strategies are used to deliver instruction. Three industries are targeted for the pilot, which attempts to make literacy and numeracy…

Articulates and operationalizes a framework for investigating the level of quantitative literacy in the United States. Uses data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) to document the level of quantitative literacy in the U.S. Indicates that students fall short in their understanding of the nature of mathematics and the…

Synthesizes the literature on mathematics learning and provides research-based recommendations, advice, and guidance and develops an elaborated view of mathematical literacy termed 'mathematical proficiency' in the study report. The study demonstrated how research could be synthesized so that evidence from research might be used more productively…

Although children take over a year to learn the meanings of the first three number words, they eventually master the logic of counting and the meanings of all the words in their count list. Here, we ask whether children's knowledge applies to number words beyond those they have mastered: Does a child who can only count to 20 infer that number…

Both 'strategic' and 'distributed' forms of leadership are considered promising responses to the demands placed on school systems by large-scale reform initiatives. Using observation, interview and survey data collected as part of a larger evaluation of England's National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, this study inquired about sources of…

The purpose of the present study was to improve a multivariate multilevel model in the research literature which estimates the consistency in the rates of growth between mathematics and science achievement among students and schools. We introduced a new multivariate multilevel model via a latent variable approach. Data from the Longitudinal Study…

The UK Government's Key Stage 3 Strategy (KS3S) aims to transform teachers' approaches, including pedagogy, and pupils' expectations in England. It places new demands on specialist subject teachers to undertake cross-curricular work in the fields of literacy and numeracy development. However, there are insufficient research data concerning trainee…

This article illustrates the misconceptions that students have when using the equals sign and describes a lesson used to give students the foundation for an accurate conception of equivalency.

The focus on quantitative literacy has been increasingly outside the realm of mathematics. The social sciences are well suited to including quantitative elements throughout the curriculum but doing so can mean challenges in preparation and presentation of material for instructors and increased anxiety for students. This paper describes tools and…

An important social concern in mathematics education is that the educational attainment of pupils may be influenced by teachers' competence in the curricular area they are teaching. This paper provides some insight into the relationship between student primary teachers' mathematics subject knowledge and their reported confidence to teach that…