Improving Mathematics at work: the need for technomathematical literacies

What are the mathematical knowledge and skills that actually matter for the world of work today? Has technology reduced the necessary knowledge to the most basic arithmetic? Or has the era of globalised competition and customer-focus ushered in a new era where novel skills are required? If so, how can they be developed? This book argues that there has been a radical shift in the nature of mathematical skills required for work - a shift which has still not been fully recognised by either the formal education system or by employers and managers. People need mathematical knowledge and skills that are shaped in new ways by information technologies and situated in concrete work situations - what we term techno-mathematical literacies (TmL): for example, the need to be fluent in the language of mathematical inputs and outputs to technologies and to interpret and communicate them, rather than merely to be procedurally competent with calculations. The book presents case studies in manufacturing and financial service sectors, and proven design principles for the successful implementation of learning interventions for TmL learning opportunities. These include vignettes that describe the co-design and evaluation with employer-partners of interactive computer tools and authentic learning activities. This book is required reading for trainers and managers in commerce and industry; teachers and lecturers of mathematics and technical subjects, especially in the Further Education field; for stakeholders and decision-makers interested in evidence-based policy; and, for academic researchers interested in the application of cultural-historical activity theory to the understanding of workplace knowledge