Numeracy as a Shared Responsibility: Pedagogical Possibilities Across Subjects

The cultivation of numeracy, according to Alberta Education Teaching Quality Standards (TQS) #3, is a continuous responsibility of all teachers of various subject areas (not just mathematics). Developing the capacity to identify and create numeracy opportunities is an ongoing process. However, a good place to start is to practice analysing the numeracy opportunities across different subject/curriculum areas. In this interactive PD session, we will introduce participants to the Alberta education numeracy framework and the 21 st Century Numeracy Model (Goos et al, 2019) as guiding frameworks for analysing numeracy opportunities across subject areas. Participants in this session will work collaboratively to use the 21st numeracy model (Goos et al, 2019) as a lens to identify and design numeracy rich tasks that address both the curriculum goal(s) and numeracy capability of students across disciplines, while emphasizing numeracy as a socio-cultural practice. Key objectives 1) Introduce participants to the key numeracy frameworks: Introduce teachers to the Alberta Education Numeracy Framework and the 21st Century Numeracy Model (Goos et al., 2019) as tools for identifying and analyzing numeracy opportunities across various subject areas. 2) Develop cross-curricular numeracy awareness: Support teachers in recognizing and integrating numeracy as a core component of all subject areas—not just mathematics. 3) Collaboratively design numeracy-rich tasks: Engage participants in hands-on, collaborative activities to brainstorm on tasks/activities that align with curricular goals and support the numeracy development of all students. Note to participants: For the hands-on activities in this session, please have either an electronic or hard copy of the Alberta Education curriculum (K–12) for a subject area of your choice (e.g., math, Science, Social Studies, English Language Arts, Physical Education, etc.) readily available. This will help you meaningfully engage in identifying and designing numeracy-rich tasks relevant to your teaching context.