[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-588798-105":59,"doc-detail-588798-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","numeracy-as-critical-thinking-university-of-tasmania-academic-numeracy-unit","Numeracy as Critical Thinking - University of Tasmania Academic Numeracy Unit","","Adult learners entering university study bring uneven prior experience, confidence, mathematical ability, motivation, and needs for mathematical tasks. University preparation requires numeracy skills and mathematical literacy, yet common enabling-program support often mirrors high school learning and can feel intimidating or irrelevant. A University of Tasmania Academic Numeracy unit reframes numeracy as critical thinking using Watson’s Four Resource Model to develop higher-order critique of information across everyday and academic research contexts.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/numeracy-as-critical-thinking-university-of-tasmania-academic-numeracy-unit/588798/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/numeracy-as-critical-thinking-university-of-tasmania-academic-numeracy-unit/588798.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Chumphorn","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"Why is numeracy considered important for adult learners preparing for university?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"Adult learners need numeracy skills because university courses often require a level of mathematical literacy for study success and participation across disciplines.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What limitation does the document identify in the standard model of numeracy support?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"The standard approach replicates what students learned (or failed to learn) in high school, which can intimidate adult learners with negative past experiences and feel irrelevant to those pursuing non-mathematical fields.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"How does the University of Tasmania Academic Numeracy unit approach numeracy differently?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"It treats numeracy as a form of critical thinking rather than only number manipulation, using Watson’s Four Resource Model to focus on critical evaluation of information in everyday and academic situations.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},588798,1792171047,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},2336475401981,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/22000c94efd8d5204d?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1786935347598174694","Numeracy as critical thinking  \nPragati Jain  \nUniversity of Tasmania  \nAustralia  \n\u003C[Pragati.Jain@utas.edu.au](Pragati.Jain@utas.edu.au)>  \nMerran Rogers  \nUniversity of Tasmania  \nAustralia  \n\u003C[Merran.Rogers@utas.edu.au](Merran.Rogers@utas.edu.au)>  \nAbstract  \nAdult learners preparing for university level study have varying degrees of prior experience, confidence, ability, motivation and need when it comes to mathematical tasks. The development of numeracy skills is a core aspect of university preparation, with many university courses requiring a certain level of mathematical literacy.  \nThe standard model of numeracy support in enabling programs essentially replicates what students learned (or failed to learn) in high school. For adult learners with previous negative experiences, this approach can be intimidating, while others perceive high school mathematics as irrelevant and unnecessary to their chosen field of study. Adult learners require an entirely new approach to numeracy support.  \nOur approach has been to turn the standard model on its head, by recognising numeracy as a form of critical thinking that requires much more than an ability to manipulate numbers. The University of Tasmania Academic Numeracy unit utilises Watson’s (2009) Four Resource Model of Numerical Literacy to focus on critical evaluation of information, in both everyday and academic situations. The development of higher-order critical thinking skills forms the core of our unit, with explicit mathematical instruction provided in service of situating and critiquing real research. This approach has allowed us to develop critical numeracy skills in a way that is relevant, meaningful and valuable to all learners, whatever their future academic endeavours.  \nKeywords: numeracy, critical thinking  \nIntroduction  \nThe importance of numeracy skills in the workforce and daily life is becoming an increasingly pertinent issue. The relevance of mathematics is receiving attention both in Australia (Marginson, Tytler, Freeman and Roberts, 2013; Office of the Chief Scientist, 2014) and worldwide (Breiner et al., 2012) as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education is seen as essential to support the modern knowledge based economy (Abbott-Chapman, 2011) . As such, there is an expectation that university graduates will be both literate and numerate, with numeracy skills being increasingly recognised as a key outcome of university study. Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Technology Sydney Shirley Alexander says,“We think that to produce graduates that are really going to contribute to society every single graduate needs to have numeracy”(Alexander, 2016) .  \nThere is a growing recognition that numeracy skills form an important precursor to successful study at the university level. Concerns about school leavers’ level of mathematics preparedness for entering STEM disciplines is garnering high levels of focus. Sydney University has recently reversed a  \ndecision to waive mathematics pre-requisites, and from 2019 will reinstate 2-unit mathematics as a prerequisite for entry into 62 degrees (Alexander, 2016)., including economics, commerce, engineering and IT, psychology, pharmacy, veterinary science and science. These courses have an indisputable mathematical component. However, an understanding and ability to think critically about numerical concepts and information is important for students in all academic areas (Gazit 2012) . Indeed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has recently suggested that Maths/Science should be a prerequisite for any university study. \"More universities are requiring and they should all require in due course that mathematics or science should be a prerequisite school subject to have completed to go onto university.”(Bagshaw, 2016) .  \nThe University of Tasmania Tertiary Numeracy Enquiry (Skalicky et al., 2010) audited the level and type of mathematics and numeracy in undergraduate courses across the univ","cbCaigmpE5zV1ylF","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaigmpE5zV1ylF","pdf",304069,11,"English","# Introduction\n# Development of the Academic Numeracy unit","[{\"question\":\"Why is numeracy considered important for adult learners preparing for university?\",\"answer\":\"Adult learners need numeracy skills because university courses often require a level of mathematical literacy for study success and participation across disciplines.\"},{\"question\":\"What limitation does the document identify in the standard model of numeracy support?\",\"answer\":\"The standard approach replicates what students learned (or failed to learn) in high school, which can intimidate adult learners with negative past experiences and feel irrelevant to those pursuing non-mathematical fields.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the University of Tasmania Academic Numeracy unit approach numeracy differently?\",\"answer\":\"It treats numeracy as a form of critical thinking rather than only number manipulation, using Watson’s Four Resource Model to focus on critical evaluation of information in everyday and academic situations.\"}]","Numeracy as Critical Thinking - University of Tasmania Academic Numeracy Unit | PDF",1792065954,28]