Numeracy Education for Adult Learners: A Scan of the Field and Principles for Course and Materials Design

Abstract

Additional research is needed to improve adult numeracy instruction, training for instructors, and our understanding of the feasibility and impact of innovations in these areas. The Adult Numeracy in the Digital Era (ANDE) project, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education, seeks to develop and test an innovative, technology-enabled approach for improving adult numeracy and digital literacy instruction. We began this project guided by principles of user-centered design, specifically the principle of knowing the user’s wants and needs. We conducted a “field scan” of adult numeracy and digital literacy, by interviewing researchers, instructors, students; conducting classroom observations; and reviewing literature. We detail our key findings within two emergent themes: (1) extensive variability in learner backgrounds and readiness, instructors’ experiences, standards alignment, course structures, and classroom contexts; and (2) diversity of learner goals and the actions they and their instructors took as they worked together within the course and local policy contexts. We also identify three design principles to guide course development, suggesting that adult numeracy courses should be: aligned and relevant; interactive and participatory; and relationship-centered. These principles guided the design of our adult numeracy course, and we offer questions that current instructors can consider as they design their own adult numeracy lessons.