The aim and importance of Literacy and Numeracy.

Literacy and numeracy are an extremely important part of everyday life and the 2 key subjects taught in school; Literacy is the basis of communication, Speaking & Listen, along with Reading and Writing. We speak to and listen to people all the time and we contact people we can’t speak to by letter or email. Then numeracy is in the very least the centre of problem solving; money handling; weighing and measuring along with handling data which we all do on a near daily basis, with activities such as: cooking, shopping and keeping check on our bills and bank account . It is important that every child develops these skills as early on as possible so the foundations are there to build on as
Many instructions for work to be completed are given orally and listening skills are required. Students need to be able to ask or answer questions verbally; higher order questioning may be used to ascertain knowledge and understanding and to provoke more independent thinking, so speaking and listening abilities are used here. Good reading skills also help students with their spellings when writing which helps with presentation in every subject. Strong and confident reading and writing skills will enhance the student’s interpretation of exam papers and lead to better qualifications being gained at the end of their education. Our young people are encouraged to take part in verbal dialogue as much as possible, often prompted by questioning which should be aimed at the student’s level; this promotes their listening skills as well as their speaking. Some students use PECs to communicate to other, but these students are still verbally and gesturally prompted to speak. Students are encouraged to ask for things they need, rather than it just being given to them, which is done to promote their communication capabilities. Literacy skills involving Speaking, listening, reading and writing will be implemented in everyday life when communicating, whether in a verbal conversation or via a social networking site, or in correspondences such as a letter or email.

In conclusion, numeracy