EDUC4105

Certainly in the first reading, Language implications for numeracy, Zevenbergen makes an interesting point when he explores the effect of social differences in language use impacting on numeracy. It had not occurred to me that different social classes might classify different items differently based upon experiences.

An example is given in the text where the students take a personal view of a question, which is reflected in their answers. This was good to see as a potential source of confusion for students, but one I think can be easily avoided through careful wording of questions and a clear idea of expected responses.

The list of homonyms and homophones are a useful reference in the second article and are words I think should be clarified and joked about wherever possible (mmmmm… pi). I think a list like this would be good to make verbal references to in a lesson where appropriate. The point made about sides and corners of 2D and 3D shapes was excellent and could easily cause confusion for students.

I can understand the confusion that might be caused by ruler, mass and root, but can anybody help me out with the mathematical meaning of ‘vulgar’?