Assessment of Teachers Numeracy Practices in the Elementary: Basis to a Crafted School-Based Scheme in Enhancing Mathematics Instructions

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Numeracy is the ability to reason and to apply simple numerical concepts. Basic numeracy skills consist of comprehending fundamental arithmetics like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For example, if one can understand simple mathematical equations such as 2 + 2 = 4, then one would be considered possessing at least basic numeric knowledge. Substantial aspects of numeracy also include number sense, operation sense, computation, measurement, geometry, probability, and statistics. A numerically literate person can manage and respond to the mathematical demands of life.

METHODS

This research gathered its data from the teacher questionnaires directly related to a measure of effectiveness in terms of the gains in class mean test scores (adjusted).

RESULTS

The highly effective, strongly connectionist teachers paid much attention to pupils' understandings. They documented the information about pupils' learning carefully and then used it to inform and develop their teaching.In contrast, some of the teachers who were only moderately effective used assessment simply to check up on how much of their own teaching had been learned. Any gaps in understanding were dealt with through re-teaching and additional practice. Teachers listening to pupils' methods of mental calculation appeared to be a very effective method of raising their awareness on the importance of assessing pupils' strategies compared to solely relying on markings based only on whether or not pupils arrived at correct answers.

DISCUSSIONS

It would seem that the strongly connectionist teachers were paying a great deal of attention to pupils' knowledge of numeracy. Rather than trying to hold this information in their heads, they were documenting it carefully and then using it to improve their teaching. Free from trying to hold a great deal of information about pupils in their heads, it would seem that these teachers were able to concentrate on the aspects of learning mathematics in line with pupils' attitudes and approaches, both of which are rather harder systematically to assess and record. The strongly transmission orientated teachers used assessment for a different purpose, to check up on teaching rather than to inform teaching.