Bridging Numeracy is built on a foundation of students seeing and understanding how quantitative skills and understanding can be applied to their own lives, in the workplace, in their personal life, and as part of effective citizenship.

The Bridging Numeracy course is designed to support senior secondary students in achieving the benchmark of the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) Level 3. This course is grounded in disciplinary numeracy and authentic experiences, aiming to empower students to effectively engage with quantitative tasks across diverse subjects and real-world contexts.

The need for a comprehensive numeracy course arises from the increasing demands of academic and professional settings, where students are expected to demonstrate strong reasoning and logic skills, critical thinking, and the ability to analyse and interpret graphs and tables. The development of these skills is essential for success in higher education and active participation in today's rapidly evolving society.

The Bridging Numeracy course is written under The MATHEMATICS FRAMEWORK 2021: BSSS MATHEMATICS Framework

Achievement Standards for MATHEMATICS courses can be found within the Framework, with Achievement Standards particularly for Bridging Numeracy.

Mathematics is a way of thinking in which problems are explored and solved through observation, reflection and logical reasoning. Students identify appropriate mathematical processes, transfer skills between contexts, make informed decisions, make connections and develop mathematical arguments.

Practical Numeracy

Students learn about the versatility and practical applications of mathematics in personal, workplace and social contexts. Students will study numeracy in the workplace, workplace problem solving, and be empowered to interpret mathematics pertaining to pay and conditions. Students will be able to effectively identify, interpret and use mathematical and problem-solving strategies in workplace situations with confidence and flexibility. Students practice transferring these skills to other personal, social, or academic situations. Students learn to identify when a problem is making use of quantitative thinking and skills. They build a disposition of understanding when and how to use their mathematical skills, including identifying when to make the contextual leap to apply quantitative skills to both -familiar and unfamiliar problems.

Techno-mathematical Skills

Students learn to use and manipulate quantitative information with a focus on data literacy and technical software skills. Students will study personal financial numeracy. Students will be able to effectively identify, interpret and use mathematical and problem-solving strategies and tools in the management of their personal or work life to make informed and well-reasoned financial decisions. Students learn to communicate mathematical understanding and decisions using spreadsheets. Students build a disposition of confidence and calculated risk, using their understanding of data literacy, sense of number and sense of error, including knowing when to make use of physical, and digital tools in service of their quantitative goals.

Making Informed Numeracy Decisions

Students learn how to interpret quantitative information to inform decision-making in personal and societal contexts. Students will be able to effectively identify, interpret and use mathematical and problem-solving strategies for managing their own lives, including common experiences such as, probability-based decisions, assessing the accuracy of claims made in the media, assessing contract terms, tenancy, or the mathematics of transport and travel. They will understand how information is represented to favour particular points of view or interests and build a disposition toward implementing their critical quantitative skills when faced with both familiar and unfamiliar information presented by online, media and commercial sources.

Interdisciplinary Mathematics

Students use numeracy skills required for one or more interdisciplinary contexts, such as maintaining personal and supporting others’ health, sports, the built environment, or personal areas of interest such as volunteering, community work, or gaming. Students will be able to effectively identify, interpret and use mathematical and problem-solving strategies to make informed and well-reasoned decisions within a discipline or circumstance. Students will transfer their quantitative skills to unfamiliar problems and areas of study and build a disposition of valuing the link between numeracy and practical application of quantitative skills in contexts that link to their interests.

Bridging Numeracy (608KB)

Bridging Numeracy (282KB)