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<DIV><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">HI Pam! And All,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">One of the major ways I lost my math phobia was when I began to understand its processes as I used manipulatives while teaching math to other adults. One of the major ways I had accumulated math phobia a few decades earlier was through being taught in ways that gave me no understanding. ON a different note though, I must add that the other and equally important way I developed my math fears was because I had not learned math facts at the point they had become important for the ability to “speak math” with fluency and automaticity. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">As a reading teacher, I know that to read in English without stumbling, one must know what sounds to say for the symbols in the text and this skill needs to become automatic. For me, not knowing the math facts prevented me from becoming fluent as much as the lack of understandings. I don’t know but perhaps use of manipulatives might have helped me to learn those facts better. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">A related point to math attitudes is the gender issue. As a (girl) child I was told that girls weren’t good at math. This problem is not entirely gone in the younger generations and may certainly still be a factor for people my age. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Regarding the term literacy to include math, I think this was brought about as a reminder that we do need math to survive in our everyday lives. I agree that students will not recognize math as a part of literacy though. However, they will not recognize the word numeracy either. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">My son is a computer animator and was so surprised when entering the field, he found that one used all kinds of math, especially geometry to create the work. I though it was a shame that these real life applications are not made apparent during the teaching of math or whatever it is called. Knowing the relevance of processes to interests of students (how about relevance of fractions to music, for example) will also help with dispositions. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></PRE><PRE><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></PRE>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><SPAN
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<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
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Coordinator<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><FONT size=3>Literacy
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style="mso-bidi-font-family: Arial"><FONT size=3>Auburn Hall, Court St.,
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
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size=3>mschnec@juno.com<o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></P></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Mdr151@aol.com href="mailto:Mdr151@aol.com">Mdr151@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=specialtopics@nifl.gov
href="mailto:specialtopics@nifl.gov">specialtopics@nifl.gov</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, September 18, 2007 9:46
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [SpecialTopics 688] Re:
"numeracy" vs. "mathematical literacy"</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 9/18/2007 8:01:59 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, <A
href="mailto:djrosen@comcast.net">djrosen@comcast.net</A> writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>. At
the end of the paper you write about the importance of a
<BR>“productive disposition” that is, learners having beliefs in their
<BR>ability to do numeracy and in its usefulness to them, and having
<BR>positive feelings about numeracy. Is this, the affective part of
this <BR>component, more important than the other components?
Does it need to <BR>be addressed first, or is it addressed through a
teaching and <BR>learning process that weaves together all components
equally? Can <BR>this weaving process take place for learners who have
very negative <BR>feelings about their ability to do
numeracy?<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I have been lurking reading all the wonderful responses but do want to
weigh in on this one. I believe the productive disposition to be very
important. Brain research has concluded that most learning passes
through the emotional part of the brain first. If a student is stressed or
scared, the system shuts down. However to overcome the "fear factor", I
believe addressing the other subcomponents especially conceptual understanding
help to lessen the fear. Many students that I have surveyed say they
don't like math or fear math because they never understood it. Developing
conceptual understanding either through use of manipulatives, journal writing,
discovery labs, etc. helps students feel engaged and less fearful of a subject
they previously had felt doomed to stumble through.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Pam Meader</DIV>
<DIV>Math Chair, Portland Adult Education</DIV>
<DIV>Portland, Maine</DIV>
<DIV>Past President Adult Numeracy Network</DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR>
<DIV><FONT style="FONT: 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF; COLOR: black">
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