17 Mar Bad at maths – a badge of honour?
A recent report calls for an end to being bad at maths being seen as a “badge of honour” if poor numeracy skills among England’s adults are to be tackled. The NIACE report on Adult Numeracy makes 7 recommendations and is worth a look if you’re involved in maths education at any level.
Carol Taylor, Director of Operations at NIACE, said: “We have a huge numeracy problem in this country. We see having poor numeracy skills – being bad at Maths – as a badge of honour. No one would dream of boasting that they couldn’t read, but many people stand on platforms, write in blogs, appear on radio and television TV, admit to friends and colleagues, proudly showcasing our inability to handle everyday maths.” People who reach adulthood with poor numeracy skills are more than twice as likely to be unemployed, far less likely to receive work-related training, get a promotion or receive a wage increase, the report said
