Good morning,

Some closing thoughts since discussion will conclude at noon.

There were several good topics for discussion that I hope the discussions
helped many of you become more familiar with the term "numeracy". As
literacy providers you are in a unique position for providing basic math
instruction. And remember that just as literacy is more than reading,
numeracy is more than computation. 

Change is difficult and thinking differently about math is extremely
difficult because, generally, we were taught math by using drill and
practice methods. Several years ago a workshop participant commented that
using an activity based curriculum takes longer. My comment to her was that
it is like driving to a location where you have never been and on a road you
have never driven. It seems like the drive to the location takes forever but
the return journey passes very quickly. A second trip to the same location
goes much faster and you can pay more attention to the scenery. Just try one
simple activity. Once you see the results your second journey will be
quicker and better. 

If you google the term numeracy, you will find thousands of results. But
look closely because the large majority of the numeracy sites are in other
parts of the world. The US is behind in recognizing the importance of
numeracy. Cheryl Keenan, during her presentation at COABE in Houston last
April, talked about the importance of numeracy and that it should be
elevated to the same level of literacy. 

ANN's membership is dedicated to the numeracy cause and we hope you will
join us at COABE in Philadelphia next spring.

Judy



Judy Ward, Ed.D.
6886 Young Farm Avenue
Springdale, AR 72762
Phone: 479.361.2223
Fax: 479.361.2223
Email: j.e.ward at cox.net

Arkansas Adult Numeracy Campaign
Teaching Mathematics Effectively to Adult Learners