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Instead, it proposes critical pedagogy grounded in examining mathematics’ powerful social uses.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/more-or-less-towards-a-critical-pedagogy-of-adult-numeracy/588551/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/more-or-less-towards-a-critical-pedagogy-of-adult-numeracy/588551.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Rizky","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What does the paper argue about recent changes in adult numeracy practice?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It argues the changes represent an insufficient response to current theoretical perspectives on mathematics in society and may limit adult learners.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How is Scotland’s “social practice approach” addressed in the paper?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The paper describes the approach and examines whether adult literacy and numeracy practice actually reflects its implications.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What pedagogical alternative does the paper propose?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"It calls for critical pedagogy, suggesting tutors should help learners explore powerful social uses of mathematics and confront assumptions about different forms of knowledge.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},588551,1792171594,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962085564807,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","Ackland, A. (2014) . More…or less? Towards a critical pedagogy of adult numeracy. Adults Learning Mathematics: An International Journal, 9(2), 7-21.  \nMore…or less? Towards a critical pedagogy of Adult Numeracy  \nAileen Ackland  \nSchool of Education, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland \u003C[a.ackland@abdn.ac.uk](a.ackland@abdn.ac.uk)>  \nAbstract  \nThe development of socio-cultural understandings of mathematics combined with policy interest in adult numeracy as a result of international studies, which compare skill levels in different countries, have impacted adult education practice in recent years. In Scotland, a ‘social practice approach’ is espoused and adult numeracy tutors are encouraged to add more to the learning experience – more context, more activity. But is this a sufficient pedagogic response to the insights from social practices theory and a socio-cultural perspective of mathematics? This paper draws on evidence from studies of practitioners’understandings of social practices theory to argue that these responses are limited and potentially limiting of adult learners and represent a neo-deficit approach. Instead a critical pedagogy is required, which may require that the tutor bring less, not more, to the learning experience. Critical pedagogies would involve exploring with learners the powerful uses of mathematics in society. Adult numeracy learners could learn not only to understand the mathematics in use but to use mathematics for their own projects. The paper concludes with some thoughts on the kind of teacher education required to support tutors to become more critical in their pedagogy.  \nKey words: Adult numeracy, social practices, critical pedagogy  \nIntroduction  \nThis paper argues that the changes to adult numeracy practice evident in recent years are an insufficient response to current theoretical perspectives on mathematics in society and potentially limiting of adult learners. It arises out of a number of personal and professional concerns: to promote education for social justice, to synthesise literacy and numeracy issues, to share insights about practice across different sectors of education. It is informed by my experience in schools, further education colleges and as a tutor and organiser for a voluntary sector provider of adult education for democracy. The argument has been developed through my work as teacher educator involved in designing and delivering professional development for Adult Literacies practitioners in Scotland between 2005 and 20121. A research project undertaken in this period, with practitioners participating in the work based professional development programme, provides evidence in support of my arguments.  \nWriting for a journal with mathematics in the title, I am however, beset by imposter syndrome. An arts graduate, teacher of English, literacy tutor and qualitative researcher, I find myself subject to doubts about my capability and credibility to contribute to academic debate about maths. Boaler (2009) provides one explanation for my feelings of unworthiness. She describes as ‘the elephant in the  \n1 Between 2005 and 2012, I was Curriculum and Research Leader for the Scottish TQAL Consortium which consists of the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee & Strathclyde. The Consortium was contracted by Scottish Government to develop and deliver a teaching qualification for adult literacies tutors (TQAL), which became the Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (Adult Literacies) .  \nVolume 9(2)–November 2014 7  \nclassroom’ the assumption that success in maths is a sign of general intelligence (p.2) . Such an assumption breeds adult insecurities as they assess their own value in relation to the value accorded their different kinds of knowledge. Boaler reminds us that the mathematics afforded such power – school maths-is a narrow subject restricted to classroom contexts: ‘a strange mutated version’ (ibid) of real mathematics’. Nevertheless, ‘people who teach maths’, the voice in ","cbCairiQ9YZNMFaR","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCairiQ9YZNMFaR","pdf",894119,15,"English","# Introduction\n## The Scottish Adult Literacy and Numeracy context\n# Socio-cultural perspectives and social practice approach\n# Critique of neo-deficit responses\n## Critical pedagogies and teacher education needs","[{\"question\":\"What does the paper argue about recent changes in adult numeracy practice?\",\"answer\":\"It argues the changes represent an insufficient response to current theoretical perspectives on mathematics in society and may limit adult learners.\"},{\"question\":\"How is Scotland’s “social practice approach” addressed in the paper?\",\"answer\":\"The paper describes the approach and examines whether adult literacy and numeracy practice actually reflects its implications.\"},{\"question\":\"What pedagogical alternative does the paper propose?\",\"answer\":\"It calls for critical pedagogy, suggesting tutors should help learners explore powerful social uses of mathematics and confront assumptions about different forms of knowledge.\"}]","More - or - less? Towards a critical pedagogy of adult numeracy | PDF",1792065476,38]