Integrating Numeracy into the Adult ESOL Classroom by Hali Massey
T
he defnition of numeracy is “the ability to confdently interact with and engage in the mathematical demands of everyday life in the home, workplace, and community” (Ciancone, 1996, unpaged). Numeracy tasks occur regularly in everyday life, and it is important for adult English language learners to have the language and context in order to engage with these tasks (Ginsburg et al., 2006). In addition, the U.S. uses several systems that are most likely new to recent immigrants, refugees, or new Americans, such as the imperial system of measurement, monetary values, western calendars, etc. Therefore, numeracy in the adult ESOL classroom helps orient English language learners to these systems and measurements that they will be encountering. Examples of numeracy include: •
Using quantitative data to express facts and opinions, such as comparing prices or sales or analyzing statistics to make decisions or form opinions.
PROGRESS Volume 33, No. 2
•
Calculating percentages, such as when shopping and calculating sale percentages and when trying to calculate how much tax is owed or how much tip to leave.
•
Measuring items, such as knowing how much medication to take and measuring ingredients when cooking.
Some strategies for incorporating numeracy into the adult ESOL classroom include: •
Incorporate numeracy into classroom texts, videos, vocabulary, tasks, and discussions by aligning ESOL content with numeracy objectives: ESOL instructors can look at their curriculum or course materials to see where numeracy aligns with their content. This ensures that numeracy objectives will be contextualized within the already established classroom curriculum. See the following examples: Continued on p. 26>>>
p. 25