Adult Numeracy in the Digital Era

• In Event: Digital Literacy in Adult Education

Abstract

Objectives: Numeracy and digital literacy are essential to the pursuit of meaningful educational and career opportunities for adults, yet far too many adults lack basic numeracy and digital literacy skills. Adult Numeracy in the Digital Era (ANDE) is a five-year IES-funded project that aims to develop and evaluate an innovative, technology-enabled course designed to improving adult numeracy and digital literacy. The intervention leverages adaptive technologies to address learning gaps, supports the development of digital literacy and digital numeracy, integrates supports for English Language Learners, and incorporates routines that promote academic mindsets and habits of mind.
Theoretical framework: The design of the intervention is grounded in adult learning theories (Condelli, 2006), notably andragogy (Knowles, 1980), experiential learning (Kolb, 1984), transformative learning (Mezirow, 1997), and project-based learning (Dewey, 1938/1997; Larmer & Mergendoller 2010). These frameworks emphasize the relevance of curriculum; active learning; problem-solving and knowledge application; and opportunities for self-direction and reflection. We also draw upon research on teaching for mathematical understanding and the development of mathematical practices (Bransford et al., 2000), emphasizing productive struggle with challenging problems (Schmidt & Bjork, 1992); making conceptual connections explicit (Hiebert & Grouws, 2007); deliberate as opposed to routine practice (Ericsson, 2008; Pashler et al., 2007); opportunities for rich mathematical discourse (Moschkovich, 2007); and the role of collaborative learning in promoting mathematical sense-making (Esmonde & Langer-Osuna, 2013; Webb, 2009). Additionally, the integration of supports for digital literacy draws upon the concept of digital numeracy (Gal et al, 2020), which posits that digital literacy should encompass the knowledge needed to critically consume, interpret, and represent digital information (especially quantitative information).
Course curriculum and design. The intervention consists of a 10-week course, implemented in online or blended formats, and corresponding professional development. The course provides a personalized and adaptive learning experience, designed with applied contexts relevant to adult learners, and integrates video-conferencing to support collaboration. It also includes interventions targeting academic mindsets and habits that promote engagement and persistence as well as supports for ELL. The course focuses on the core mathematics of the middle grades levels (NRS EFLs 3 and 4). Digital literacy is incorporated in three ways. First, to support learners at the most basic levels, the Northstar basic digital skills assessment and learning modules are integrated into the course. Second, the course platform provides learners with in-context and just-in-time scaffolds for using the platform. Third, the curriculum includes tasks that require and provide support for the use of digital technologies with quantitative information, such as making sense of, analyzing, and representing quantitative data in different ways (e.g., using spreadsheets).
Significance: The rapidly growing adoption of technology in adult education is occurring with limited understanding of adults’ needs, preferences, and ability to use technology for learning. The project will provide valuable insight into how to design online and hybrid mathematical learning experiences to engage adult learners and promote mathematics learning and digital literacy development, as well as whether and how adult learners engage in and learn from technologies such as adaptive learning and online collaboration tools.

Authors

• Ann R. Edwards, WestEd
  Presenting Author

• Lewis Hogie
  Non-Presenting Author