New posters to help with numeracy Thursday, July 30, 2009 - 10:00

The new posters - available to order for free - use quirky statistics from everyday life, like how buses seem to arrive in threes and the percentage of women wearing the wrong bra size, to spark conversation about numbers between learners and tutors.

They are a companion to the publication Putting two and 2 together - available on the Reading for Pleasure website - which relates maths to everyday situations through unusual examples and includes stories from learners who have taken part in maths classes.

Rachel Davies, NIACE Programme Director, Literacy, Language and Numeracy, said:

"People are often interested in quirky facts and figures, without even realising that they are rooted in maths. However, many adults are reluctant to start learning numeracy - even though more people lack confidence in their maths skills than in their literacy or language skills - because of negative associations from their school days."

"These new posters - together with the booklet - are designed to dispel negative associations with maths and to offer an alternative introduction into the subject. Perhaps then learners may be encouraged to take the conversation a step further."