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Food for Thought?

Numeracy is a vital life skill for students to learn in school, as these skills
prepare societies future participants to be active citizens making informed
choices.
Dear Mentors,
First, many thanks for agreeing to read and to provide feedback on
the interrelating learning activities for Grade 4 students, titled Food for
Thought. Please take particular note on how the learning activities
espouse best numeracy practices based upon current research and
findings, and how inequalities within the classroom are countered.
The Context:
As you maybe aware, Lincoln Community School is a community
focused, non-profit American international school using International
Baccalaureate as it pedagogical foundation. The school is based in Accra,
Ghana, Africa. The school offers an engaging, inquiry-based curriculum
for pre-kindergarten through grade twelve to the expatriate community.
Ghana is a developing country, however, students at Lincoln are
extremely affluent compared to local Ghanaian government schools
students. There are over fifty different nationalities represented in the
school. English is the spoken language instruction in classrooms.


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This year is the forty-fifth anniversary of the foundation of Lincoln
Community School, in Accra, Ghana. Throughout the year, events will
take place to celebrate this milestone. One of the events planned is an
International Fair, where classes participate to celebrating the unique
multiculturalism of Lincoln. The underlying theme of the schools forty-
fifth year is Service. School events are well supported and attended by
the whole school community.
The Class:
In Grade 4C there are 20 students from 14 different countries,
three-quarters of the students speak more than one language. One quarter
of the students in the class speak English as their first language. Five
students receive additional learning support for Numeracy and Language.
The Proposed Learning Tasks:
Students will form into groups to prepare and sell foods of their
choice based upon their own cultural heritage at Lincolns International
Fair. Students will then use the profits raised from the sale of foods at the
fair to purchase school materials for a local Ghanaian sister school
(Service). The grade level has already formed a positive working
relationship with a poorly resourced school in the local community.
These real world tasks will require students to work in groups to
devise a plan and calculate what ingredients will be required to make
cultural foods. They will develop efficient mental and written strategies
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for multiplication and for division when determining the amount of
ingredients. They will explore and describe number patterns resulting
from performing multiplication when calculating ingredients and costs.
Students will have to investigate equivalent fractions used to recalculate
fractions of recipes. During the sale of the food, students will have to
solve problems involving purchases and the calculation of change. They
will also formulate an action plan to work out the costs to ensure profits
(ACARA, 2013, pp. 31-32). Likewise, students will have to apply these
numeracy skills when creating a budget and purchasing supplies for the
disadvantaged school. These tasks are based on Numeracy research and
philosophies outlined below.
How the Task Fits In:
It is important to know the main curricular goals of these tasks.
The two interrelating learning experiences will occur in the PYP Unit of
Inquiry (UOI) Who We Are. Students inquiries and learning will focus
around the units central idea, Children worldwide face a variety of
challenges and risks. The PYP accommodates the Australian
Curriculum outcomes for Year Four Mathematics, ACMNA076,
ACMNA077, ACMNA080, ACMNA081, and ACMMG084 (ACARA,
2013, pp. 31-32). Not only do the interrelated learning activities correlate
well with the PYPs theme Who We Are they also fall under the
umbrella of the schools theme of service for its anniversary year.
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Current Numeracy Thinking Influencing Task Design:
Numeracy has being evolving since the 1960s. Circa 1960, the
common consensus of Numeracy was that it was a separate subject, but
complementary to that of Literacy. Westwood claims, Numeracy was
seen to be the ability to deal successfully with the quantitative aspects of
everyday life (2008, p.2). Numeracy in this time period was primarily
focused on students learning routines and procedures of mathematical
concepts. From this starting point, much discussion has taken place in
what constitutes numeracy. Now the focus of Numeracy is not on
learning mathematical routines and procedures, but rather on the
application of these routines and procedures.
The Australian Curriculum views the role Numeracy as, involving
students in recognizing and understanding the role of mathematics in the
world and having the dispositions and capacities to use mathematical
knowledge and skills purposefully (ACARA, 2013, p.11). Former
Australian Mathematical Teachers Association president, Thelma Perso,
supports this viewpoint. Perso defines Numeracy as the disposition and
capacity to use mathematics to function effectively and fully at home and
in society (Perso, 2006, p.36). This means Numeracy is not a static
subject, but rather one that evolves and adapts depending on the context it
is used in.

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The evolving and changing approaches to Numeracy have
implications upon schools and educators when designing curriculum to
best meet the needs of learners. Numeracy is now rooted deeply within
the context of the learner. The role of the educator is to develop learners
abilities to apply mathematical concepts in problem solving situations
relevant to the learners needs and context.
What Learning Should Look Like Inside the Classroom?
To achieve improved numeracy abilities among students, action
must be taken within the classroom. A key recommendation outlined
from the National Numeracy Review Report is a greater emphasis on
providing students with frequent exposure to higher level problems,
rather than routine procedural tasks, in contexts of relevance to them,
with increased opportunities for students to discuss alternative solutions
and explain their thinking (COAG, 2008, p.31). This recommendation
has three significant themes with wide ranging implications for educators.
All are interrelating and influence the design of tasks for students to
undertake to develop their numeracy skills. A visual representation of
how theses themes are related and influenced by the context of Lincoln
Community School can be seen in the attached diagram.

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The Need for Higher Order Problem Solving:
The National Numeracy Report Review emphasises the need for
students to be exposed to higher order thinking problems, as compared to
the routine practice of procedural tasks in classroom. The designed
Food for Thought tasks require students to use and apply their skills to
come to a resolutionto use higher order thinking skills. The tasks
move away from routine procedural activity.
The most noted criticism of procedural tasks is that they lack
academic rigor and growth to aid students in their understanding of
numeracy within their context. It may be true that procedural tasks can
develop skill sets, but they fail when students apply their skills to
unfamiliar problems, as compared to students that have been exposed to
higher order numeracy problem solving. Stephens (2000) states students
who have been in problem solving programs outperform other students
on both problem solving and basic skills (p.17).
Mason & Johnston-Wilder (2006) support this position; there is
no learning if learners can work out how to do the task mechanically,
without having to transform their prior understanding (p.88). To
paraphrase, learning is mechanical, unless learners are pushed into a zone
where their learning moves their prior understanding. If skill
development focuses solely on practice and drill of routines and
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procedures, learners will not stretch their abilities and their development
will become stale and stagnate. This aligns with Vygotskys Zone of
Proximal Development where learners are supported by scaffolding,
designed to encourage them away from a zone of comfort to a place
where learning is active and challenging (Westwood, 2008, p.18).
Contextualized Learning
The evolved definition of Numeracy promotes the use of contexts
as basis for student learning, and the interrelating tasks use the local
context as a base for learning. This is also known as Situated
Cognition, the theory that knowing is inseparable from doing. Brown,
Collins and Duguid in Bobis (2000) argue that cognitive skills and
knowledge are not independent of context and that activities and
situations are integral to cognition and learning (p.13). Numeracy
programs of skills development will fail if they do not include the use of
contexts as a basis to develop skills.
From a contextual basis, skills will develop, as learning becomes
significant and meaningful to the learner. Westwood states that by
infusing numeracy into school subjects and into learning projects
provides authentic opportunities for students to exercise their numeracy
skills for a genuine purpose (2008, p.10).

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The Importance of Mathematical Language:
Students are encouraged to use and discuss their mathematical
knowledge and language when participating in the interrelated learning
activities. Research indicates for learners to be successful at numeracy,
the successful acquisition of its language is essential. Mason & et al.
(2006, p.71) call this language of Numeracy, the cultural tools. The
language of Numeracy or cultural tools gains significance and purpose
within a context. This is of particular relevance to English as Second
Language learners. As language equips students with the necessary tools,
barriers to learning are diminished.
The importance of developing a rich and varied mathematical language is
fundamental to any numeracy program. Connections and links in childrens
understanding require a very clear focus on the use of mathematical language
in the classroom, and on opportunities being provided in the regular classroom
for children to use and refine their own mathematical language. (Stephens,
2000, p.32)
By equipping students with the necessary skills and language
(cultural tools), and with higher level thinking problems based within a
relevant context, spiral development of students learning can take place,
as students build upon their prior learning (Mason et al., 2006, p.80).
Talking about and using mathematical language in Numeracy is a vital
ingredient in the learning process. It is often one aspect of learning that
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is left out when learners undertake Numeracy activities, as discussed in
Annenberg Learner (2013). Student talking and listening to each other
articulates students thinking, and allows for Numeracy concepts to be
developed with the use of Numeracy language Mason et al. (2006, p.82).
The Use of Mixed Groups
The interrelating learning tasks promote learning in groups. Many
documents advocate the use of groups within the classroom when
undertaking Numeracy. Not only does group work develop vital life long
social skills of learners through learning engagements, it also plays a vital
role in enabling discussions using mathematical language or cultural tools
to occur. Grouping allows for students to interact with each other, and
with the teacher, in regular and sustained ways, as to make links and
refine their understanding (Stephens, 2000, p.20).
Current research also indicates mixed ability grouping aids in the
learning of Numeracy concepts as compared to streaming students. The
National Numeracy Review Report states that streamed groups based
upon ability should be discouraged, as low ability and average ability
students learn significantly more in mixed ability groups, students in
small groups learn more than large groups, and mixed groups learning
produces positive interactions between students and the teacher. Finally,
mixed grouping aids in the acquisition of language skills for ESL students
(COAG, 2008, p.49).
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Equity Education for All (ESL and Learning Support)
Even though instructions at Lincoln Community School are given
in English, three quarters of the students in Grade 4C speak English as
their second language. These tasks allow students to practice and use the
mathematical language surrounding the activities in English. The tasks
build student confidence, as it allows them to use their own cultural
knowledge as a basis for their learning. These identified students will
benefit from the extended practice of listening and speaking in groups.
The five students who access learning support, will require additional
support and will need to be guided through these tasks. Through varied
levels of scaffolding, students will be working in the Zone of Proximal
Development as proposed by Vygotsky.
Where to Next?
There is no easy road map to follow when teaching, and this
applies when teaching Numeracy. I would like to develop my knowledge
base of the best methods to provide support to ESL students, and for
students who grapple with applying mathematical concepts when
problem solving. As I aim to find the balance between skill development
and problem solving, I am left with the challenge of getting students to
the stage where they are comfortable applying skills to known and
unknown problem solving situations in a variety of contexts.
Additionally, I pursue the answer to the question: How do I best cater to a
wide variety of learning styles and needs of students, and differentiate
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their learning according to the needs to the learners?
Once again, many thanks for reviewing this document, and I look
forward to your replies, as I am more than willing to listen and learn.



















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References

ACARA Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
(2013). The Australian curriculum: Mathematics. Retrieved
from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au

Annenberg Learner (2013). Mathematics: Whats the big idea? [Web
Video]. Retrieved from
http://www.learner.org/resources/series98.html

Bobis, J. (2000). Supporting teachers to implement a numeracy education
agenda. Retrieved from
http://www.aamt.edu.au/Professional-
reading/Numeracy/Contextual-papers

COAG Council of Australian Government. (2008). National numeracy
review report. Retrieved from
http://www.coag.gov.au/sites/default/files/national_numerac
y_review.pdf

Mason, J., & Johnston-Wilder, S. (2006). Designing and using
mathematical tasks. (2nd ed.). St. Albans, U.K.: Tarquin
Publications.

Perso, T. (2006). Teachers of Mathematics or Numeracy?. Australian
Mathematics Teacher, 62(2), pp. 36-40.

Stephens, M. (2000). Identification and evaluation of teaching practices
that enhance numeracy achievement. Retrieved on 1
st
August
2013 from http://www.aamt.edu.au/Professional-
reading/Numeracy/Contextual-papers

Westwood, P. (2008). What teachers know about numeracy. Camberwell,
Victoria: ACER Press.