| Alberta Education states the following on their Numeracy Fact sheet. How is numeracy different from mathematics? Mathematics and numeracy both draw on the same body of knowledge, but they are not the same. Numeracy involves examining a particular context or situation and drawing on the relevant mathematical understandings to make an informed and personally suitable decision. What is numeracy? Alberta Education defines numeracy as the ability, confidence and willingness to engage with quantitative and spatial information to make informed decisions in all aspects of daily living. - Quantitative information can be measured and expressed as an amount. It includes numbers, patterns, statistics and probability.
- Spatial information is the physical location of objects or people or the relationship between objects or people. It includes measures, location, direction, shape and space. A numerate individual has the confidence and awareness to know when and how to apply quantitative and spatial understandings at home, at school, at work or in the community.
How can you help with this at home? There are many that you can help. Involve your child in cooking, baking, counting things out such as money, utensils, or any other small things that you have. Involve them when making comparison of what you are buying. Create patterns; have them organize things by shape, size, color, or use. Understanding and creating patterns is very important. Putting toys in a pattern and being able to explain them is a great task. There are many great math games on-line that you can search to do as a family as well. Talk to your child about the process of what you are thinking about when doing a math task. This helps them to understand the process of doing math. |
