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Introducing Information Literacy To Mathematics Classrooms: A Cross-Case Analysis, Ander W. Erickson
Introducing Information Literacy To Mathematics Classrooms: A Cross-Case Analysis, Ander W. Erickson
Numeracy
This study employs a cross-case analysis to explore the demands and opportunities that arise when information problem-solving tasks are introduced into college mathematics classes. Mathematics teachers at three universities developed and introduced tasks that required students to seek out, evaluate, and synthesize quantitative claims from disparate information sources. The results focus on a comparison of how the teachers balanced content-specific instructional demands with the information literacy goals of the tasks that they created. Three tensions were identified through this analysis: the need to balance mathematical content with opportunities for students to engage in a realistic approximation of the information problem-solving …
Rethinking The Numerate Citizen: Quantitative Literacy And Public Issues, Ander W. Erickson
Rethinking The Numerate Citizen: Quantitative Literacy And Public Issues, Ander W. Erickson
Numeracy
Does a citizen need to possess quantitative literacy in order to make responsible decisions on behalf of the public good? If so, how much is enough? This paper presents an analysis of the quantitative claims made on behalf of ballot measures in order to better delineate the role of quantitative literacy for the citizen. I argue that this role is surprisingly limited due to the contextualized nature of quantitative claims that are encountered outside of a school setting. Instead, rational dependence, or the reasoned dependence on the knowledge of others, is proposed as an educational goal that can supplement quantitative …