Education for Sustainability in Primary Mathematics Education

Four mathematics-related issues of common concern to both Australia and New Zealand all reside in the need for students: (i) to have a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts; (ii) to develop the skills they need in order to transfer mathematical understandings across varied contexts and settings; (iii) to be presented with mathematical tasks that are student-centred; and (iv) to develop an understanding of the breadth of sustainability issues that enable them to take positive action in their daily lives. These needs were emphasised in a national numeracy review background paper (Department of Education Science and Training, 2007, p. 20), which outlined three distinct dimensions in reference to numeracy curriculum needs in Australia. These were: 1. the various processes, procedures, skills and abilities that numeracy involves and which thus need to be emphasised and developed; 2. the essential mathematical content that forms the foundation of the models to be understood, applied and analysed; and 3. the variety of situations and contexts within which numeracy practices are experienced and developed.