Manitoba Education, Training and Youth

Training and
Continuing Education

Section 4.3.4: Numeracy

Learners will have differing needs when it comes to numeracy. Some will need very specific instruction in preparation for undertaking a General Education Development (GED) or high school diploma program for example Others will simply want to improve their numeracy skills in everyday living situations such as shopping, banking, and so on. As a new tutor, unless you are particularly adept in mathematic you will most likely be dealing with the latter. That is, you will most likely be dealing with very basic mathematics as it is used in daily life; that is, Stage One and Two learners. The following table below outlines, the objectives for numeracy tutoring for each of the three stages used in Manitoba in very general terms.

Stage One

Stage Two

Stage Three

- Count, read and write numbers to 100

- Distinguish between odd and even numbers

- Count to 100 by 1's, 2's, 5's, and 10's

- Add two digit numbers without regrouping

- Subtract two digit numbers without regrouping

- Solve simple word problems involving addition and subtraction facts to 20.

- Understand basic measurement units (length, width, etc)

- Identify basic fractions (1/2, 1/3, 1/4)

- Explore the concept of greater than and less than

- With guidance, collect, organize and describe data (e.g., a simple bar graph)

- Count, read and writes numbers to 1000

- Round off whole numbers to the nearest tens and hundreds

- Add with carrying, subtract with borrowing

- Compare whole numbers up to 3 digits using <, >, and =

- Recognize and use ordinal numbers up to 10

- Know multiplication tables to 10

- Multiply by one number

- Demonstrate and apply linear measurements

- Understand the concepts of perimeter, area, and volume, mass, volume and temperature

- Solve basic word problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication and some division

- Collect, display and describe data independently

- Count, read and write numbers to 10,000 or higher

- Estimate sums, differences, products, and quotients to the nearest ten, hundred, and thousand

- Multiply by two or more numbers

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- Compute one-digit divisor division problems that involve remainders and no remainders

- Fractions: read, write, reduce, find the common denominator, add, subtract, multiply and divide

- Decimals: read and write, change into fractions

- Identify relationships between centimeters, meters. Measure and record lengths to the nearest centimeter.

- Identify characteristics of and relationships between plane and solid figures

- Determine perimeter, area, and volume

- Solve problems using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division

- Collect data, display results in more than one way, and interpret to make predictions

Although in the past numeracy instruction tended to focus on computational and operational skills and knowledge, there has been growing recognition in the field of education that as in other areas of teaching and learning, this narrow focus is inadequate. The emphasis now is on integrating mathematics into learners' lives in authentic and active ways. This approach is often referred to as "whole mathematics" and as suggested by Archambeault (1993), there are several benefits:

Whole math activities use real-life and hands-on experiences as the basis for learning mathematical procedures. Adults experience mathematics and number concepts when they shop for groceries, buy gasoline for the car, eat in a restaurant, prepare food, and take medicine. Instructional activities based on these experiences demonstrate an immediate, concrete application of the math concept and also serve to reduce math anxiety.

Whole math involves a wider range of skills/knowledge on the part of the learner, in particular the ability to problem-solve and communicate mathematically. Problem-solving refers to the ability of learners to generate, organize, evaluate and apply mathematics. Whether it's following a recipe, deciphering numbers in the newspaper, doing monthly bills, banking, figuring out how much wallpaper we need for a room, buying and financing a car, we need mathematics to solve everyday problems. Communicating mathematically refers to the ability of learners to talk about, discuss, brainstorm, explain, etc., about the numeracy they are using. The importance of being able to "communicate mathematically" can be seen in everyday situations such as trying to point out an error on a dinner or utility bill, mapping out a landscaping diagram or floor plan, helping our children do math homework, negotiating a sale of some sort, doing up a budget at home or work, and so on.� Thus, not only do we need to be able to solve math problems, we need to be able to communicate the information to others.