Numeracy and evidence-based practice

Numeracy and evidence-based practice

The evidence-based teaching is the incorporation of the application of evidence in making sure that there is the establishment of the concern of the areas and points which the students have to be more focused on for the ensuring of the clarity and derivation of the content and motive that is intended by the learning. Through the development of decisions that contain the most appropriate teaching strategies, interventions, and mentorship of the students’ progress with the evaluation of the teaching effectiveness. The aspect of usage of evidence-based practices was developed from the word-hoard with its ethical perception evolving around the development and increasing the students learning and educational reaps or outcome that is mostly dependent on the broader application of the reliable evidence within the classroom practice.

In learning numeracy and literacy are the significant elements that are significant for the success of a learner at school and also provision of a bridge for furthering of studies and work engagement and also equipping the students with the skills that useful and sharpening them in terms of the future economic and social prosperity( Medlin,2016). Numeracy and evidence-based practice involve the teacher providing the learners with the chances of small subitizing collections, practicing on counting, comparing the magnitude of collection and use of numerals for quantifying selections before they are introduced to the most straightforward arithmetic solutions.

The students also are taught the recognition and comparison of shapes, identifications, and creation of patterns, then making direct comparisons applying the measurement tools as well as the collection and organization of the information. The teachers can evaluate the current level of math knowledge through the established progression and further using the data involving the children’s skills in delivering instructions. Through the practice, the teachers have room for the use of informal methods in the representation of the mathematical concepts before they can link the ideas to particular formal mathematical vocabulary or symbols (Geiger, Forgasz, Goos,2015). Open-ended questions or math conversations are helpful to the learners in encouraging them to practice and applying the mathematical skills and knowledge in their daily activities.

From the past, the learning difficulties in numeracy have been evaluated to be a general cognitive difficulty, such as low IQ. Therefore raising an alert that students may be experiencing a wide range of challenges in maths for various reasons inclusive of;

Sensory impairments

Chronic absenteeism

Delayed acquisition of the language used

Overlap with a literacy learning problem

Disruption of learning

It is, therefore, critical for the teachers to understand the reason behind the student having a problem with mathematics before developing and delivering interventions.

Subitising

Defines the ability of the students to rapidly enumerate a small set of objects at a glance without the urge of counting .teachers embracing the subitizing skills in determining the numeracy learning difficulties. Therefore, helping them in deriving measures and procedures that will help improve the learning skills of their students by first having understood the pressure that is affecting them (Bucknall, 2004). Subitising is also significant as it helps the students in efficiently compute answers to numerical problems with the application of the appropriate strategies for solving the tasks.

Assessment process

After a student has been identified to be having difficulties with numeracy, the teachers can adopt a three-phase strategy in ensuring it guides understanding their needs, therefore, establishing and delivering an appropriate intervention

First phase

Within the first phase of assessment of the students, the teacher should keenly make observations and make a recording of the student’s performance in math’s in a stipulated time frame. At this phase, the teacher is deemed to establish the following ability when assessing the learners

Understanding of the math’s concepts

Number skills

Calculation skills

Mastery of number facts

Second phase

Along with this phase, the teacher can introduce more and detailed math assessments relating to the observations made in the first phase to isolate the students’ significant numerical abilities. Teachers may make considerations of adopting and implementing a dynamic assessment approach which enables to understand the students’ ability even more (Westwood, 2016).

The dynamic assessment contains the teacher developing out a mini learning progression lying within a narrow math’s domain. The steps that are required for the solution of the problem involve specifically the student and the teacher collaborating in the resolution of the issue. Through these interactions, the teacher has the room to connect and understand the main areas that need to be fostered on to improve the students’ potential in learning mathematics (Westwood, 2016). This model-like assessment helps the learners in internalizing problem-solving contexts as well as procedures.

Third phase

The last phase deals with the identification and usage of appropriate intervention relating to the data and the observations made by the teachers in the previous two stages. At this point, the teacher is acquainted with all the expectations and requirements that are necessary for the students in fostering the mathematical skills and knowledge through the applications of solutions to the difficulties posed by the learners in the above phases.

The establishment of a literacy action plan is a basic method that improves student performance and achievement. With an effective way of comprising the data that addresses the learner’s needs on Performance or the expectations within the school (Bucknall, 2004). The plan is significant in the creation of guidelines or increasing the students reading, writing and thinking skills. The fundamental focus being

Emphasis on literacy development along with the key areas

Literacy intervention for struggling learners

The schools structure culture or policies supporting literacy

Enabling the teachers on the improvement of their instructions

The program is useful both for the teachers and students in the creation of an environment where the teachers can identify the difficulty that is affecting their students in terms of acquitting themselves with the numerical skills that they are taught. Through this understanding, it becomes much more comfortable for teachers to establish the best strategy. That is inherent to the needs of the students and seems to be the most effective way of driving the mathematical skills and operations to the students without having to bombard them due to their poor understanding ability. This is guaranteeing the students with a conducive environment to understand the skills needed despite their speed of incorporating the concepts this leading to the realization of successful numeracy and evidence-based practice.

References

Medlin, J. (2016). The Australian Literacy and numeracy workforce: a literature review. Adelaide, Australia: National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

Geiger, V., Forgasz, H., & Goos, M. (2015). A critical orientation to numeracy across the curriculum. Zdm, 47(4), 611-624.

Bucknall, T. (2004). Evidence‐Based Practice in Australia: An Unremitting Challenge for Quality! Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 1(2), 85–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6787.2004.04029.x

Westwood, P. S. (2016). Teaching and learning difficulties : a cross-curricular approach. Acer Press.

Australia. Department Of Education, Science, and Training (Dest. (, 2005). Literacy and Numeracy Innovative Projects Initiative : final project reports for Round Two. Dest.

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