1. QUANTITATIVE LITERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM By: Evan Denard

2. What is Quantitative Literacy?  Pertains to “word problems” from various subject areas  “the ability to apply mathematical reasoning and computations to address substantive issues from a wide range of fields”  Ex: lab reports, data analysis, reports on economic trends for a history paper

3. What is the current problem?  Many students “emerge from school ill-equipped to apply quantitative literacy skills to the kinds of questions central to functioning in modern society”  Students err while explaining data  Lack of mathematical comprehension  Failure to understand the real-world social context  Lack of precision in writing.  Only taught in math classes; yet, it utilizes skills in all content areas

4. What is the current problem?...continued  Usually taught as:  Understand the problem  Select a strategy  Implement the Strategy  Evaluate the answer.Bluman (2005)  Author declares it should include:  writing the answer in prose in ways that place it back in its original substantive context

5. Strategic Approach to Writing  When reporting one number, and comparing two or more:  Set the context (the five “Ws”), Specify units  Report and interpret the values, Specify direction and magnitude of the pattern  Poor:  The height was 27  The two groups of plants grew at different rates  Best:  Two weeks after germinating, the plant that was watered daily was 27 centimeters tall.  The plants that were fed compost grew faster than those grown in plain soil, 17 centimeters (cm) per week versus 13 cm/week

6. Implications in the Classroom  Regardless of content, each subject has opportunities to practice this writing strategy  While writing the answer to the ‘word problem’ using various Thinking Strategies:  Self-questioning to clarify ambiguity  Determining importance in text to separate details from main ideas  Tovani: “Speed kills. This is not a magazine” (p. 26)  Reading a math textbook = writing a solution to a word problem

7. Implications…continued  Instead of learning to read and hold thinking in English, student learning and holding thinking in Mathematics  Integrating techniques from various classrooms  Develop cross-disciplinary assignments  “Students should be taught to draw upon concepts and skills from each of the major academic disciplines”  As Tovani suggests, think about your thinking (metacognition)  Similar to writing: think about what you are writing for a solution

8. Implications….continued again  Answering quantitative literacy questions = answering reading strategies  Think about answers…logically make sense? Answer the question? Write down your thinking?  Need to know English vocabulary and structure to create a compelling argument and answer  Comes through enhancing literacy

9. References  Miller, Jane E. “Quantitative Literacy Across the Curriculum: Integrating Skills From English Composition, Mathematics, and the Substantive Disciplines.” The Educational Forum Vol. 74 (2010): 334-346. Web. 25 April 2011  Tovani, Chris. Do I Really Have to Teach Reading?. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers, 2004. Print.