Mathematical literacy as an important component of preparing a future teacher

Abstract

The article analyzes the concept of mathematical literacy. The formation of mathematical literacy among members of modern society is a fundamental basis for the formation of functional literacy. Currently, there is no single approach to the interpretation of the concept of "mathematical literacy", the article provides several different approaches to the definition. Based on the analysis of the points of view of different scientists, the authors of the article highlight the main components of the concept of "mathematical literacy". These include: literacy of mathematical speech; possession of mathematical concepts; the ability to correctly formulate definitions and statements; the ability to apply mathematics to research. The paper provides a characteristic of the listed components of mathematical literacy. In addition, in this work, for the first time, an attempt was made to formulate the levels of mathematical literacy – speech, terminological, critical and operational. The article presents the results of testing students in pedagogic areas of training of two universities – Kostroma State University and Yaroslavl State Pedagogic University. The test was aimed at assessing the level of mathematical literacy of future teachers, for whom teaching mathematics will be a part of their professional activities. The test tested not only the knowledge of terms and the ability to give definitions, but also the ability to correctly apply mathematics to solve practical problems with subsequent interpretation, as well as the ability to see errors and inaccuracies in the texts of students' works, Internet sources and teaching aids. The authors identified criteria for assessing the test results and for each criterion; a quantitative indicator was determined equal to the number of correctly completed tasks. The low results of even third-year students show topicality of specific activities that could help improve the mathematical literacy of pedagogues.