I am an old nerd

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So, I am beginning the quantitative literacy project (called "Q" by those of us in the know) in my Comp I classes. I'm a little terrified and a little excited. I've recently become a convert to the importance of quantitative literacy in my own life and in the lives of my students, but numbers have not always been my friends. Hence, fear. So, I made this for my class website:


and none of my students got it. I thought it would help to lighten the mood. Oh well. 

Comments

smalltownme said…
Well, I don't know what it means but I like the meme.
November 3, 2014 at 12:28 PM
Cheri @ Blog This Mom!® said…
My brain is trying to leak out of my ears. So quantitative literacy has to do with using mathematical concepts in English compositions (and other disciplines)? If so, why? Tell us more. I am intrigued despite the fact possible brain leakage. Meanwhile, your captioned photo hits the mark with me! Love it!
November 3, 2014 at 4:14 PM
Karen Jensen said…
Well, yes. Here's a story that tells it well, Cheri. Two women in their late thirties are pregnant. In a conversation, one woman tells the other that she read that 1 out of 50 mothers over 35 had an abnormal fetus. This frightened her. And then her doctor told her she had a 97% chance of being a-okay. She was relieved. The problem is that 1 out of 50 means 2 out of a hundred, which means that the first statistic was actually better than what her doctor said. That's quantitative literacy--being able to understand how numbers and percentages and fractions work. As a writing teacher, I should teach how to use numbers, percentages, fractions, charts, and graphs in a rhetorically appropriate and ethical manner. Make sense?
November 3, 2014 at 5:29 PM
Cassi said…
Well, I would have totally gotten your picture! Of course, I had no idea what quantitative literacy was, but now I do, thanks to your explanation above. I have a few friends and colleagues who teach writing, and I've never heard them mention this. However, my husband, who teaches math, would love that you are doing it.
November 3, 2014 at 8:02 PM
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