Low Numeracy: From Brain to Education

Abstract

It is widely agreed that humans inherit a numerical competence, though the exact nature of this competence is disputed. I argue that it is the inherited competence with whole numbers (the ‘number module’) that is foundational for arithmetical development. This is clear from a longitudinal study of learners from kindergarten to year 5. Recent research has identified a brain network that underlies our capacity for numbers and arithmetic, with whole number processing a core region of this network. A twin study shows a strong heritable component in whole number competence, its link to arithmetical development and to the brain region. These findings have implications for improving numeracy skills especially among low-attaining learners.