Improving Your Literacy and Numeracy Skills Will Enhance Your Life
Sep 4, 2012 Study Skills 1529 Views
The effect of poor numeracy on people's lives is often less obvious than poor literacy. However, there is considerable proof that low numeracy skills can be the cause of limited opportunities in life. This can react negatively on you, your family and on society as a whole.
Adult literacy and numeracy in Britain is very much an issue, with many not being able to manage their own money or help their kids with homework.
Numeracy is a skill which is found mainly in maths but also in other subjects. Numeracy is more than an ability to do basic sums as it requires an understanding of everything numbers and a capacity to solve quantitative or spatial problems in a variety of contexts. Numeracy also requires that you are aware of the ways in which data is collected and how to present it in graphs, tables and charts.
It also requires you to be good at problem solving, to be able to understand and explain the solutions, to make decisions and to interpret data. Information technology presents us with more data than ever before and places a greater emphasis on having numeracy skills.
Literacy and Maths games are specifically designed to develop English and Maths skills in line with the National Curriculum. Literacy and numeracy books and games cover many key curriculum areas for anyone needing help with literacy and spelling and Maths at key stage 1 and 2. They are also useful for people with special needs like dyslexia or for English spelling when learning or teaching English as a foreign language. These types of games, cards and books are suitable for use in the home as well as at school.
Being able to read means you can make positive changes to your life. You have the ability to see yourself differently and to identify with others more fully. In the past, children would read in the home for pleasure, talk to their parents or siblings - anything that involved some kind of interaction with others. Today they sit and watch TV and DVDs or play video games which do not require any interaction at all. Conversing and interacting some way with others is necessary for both children and adults to achieve their full potential in literacy.
Anyone who struggles to use numbers can become very self-conscious about it and this can affect their confidence. They're unable to help their children with their maths homework and are usually loath to apply for a more challenging job.
Clearly the foundations of numeracy are best laid young. Unfortunately, some adults may have fallen between the cracks and now find themselves struggling with normal everyday tasks. In England alone there are around 17 million adults with poor numeracy skills and that number continues to increase.
With literacy and numeracy books it is possible for everyone experiencing difficulties to improve these skills and this will inevitably improve their options in life and increase employment opportunities.
It is sad to learn that only one in three children own a book and that one in four leave primary school with an unsatisfactory level of literacy! Real books are a gift from God and are fundamental to real success in literacy and numeracy.