If you are reading this, then most likely you have one or more of the following challenges:
Word problems are tricky. Instead of numbers and operations dictating how to be solved, words get involved and make mathematicians decide the numbers and operations, determine values, relationships, and decipher what exactly needs to be answered based on what they read. Most people envision numbers and equations when they hear the word mathematics. Not too many people picture words.
Because words are a key component to word problems, the role in how words are used to unveil how quantities and values relate to one another must be acknowledged, not ignored. However, this is still a novel perspective for many mathematics teachers. We aren't exactly taught in our mathematical pedagogical classes that words matter. (If you were, kudos to you for being ahead of the rest of us.) This is why there are so many "quick fix" solutions to teaching word problem strategies. A quick google search demonstrates just how popular problem solving strategies are. For copyright purposes, I have made my own poster, but an internet search will show its likeness to what is out there.
Notice that in all the verbs mentioned--circle, underline, box, evaluate, draw, solve and check-- the word comprehend is not present. When reading, comprehension is a mandatory factor to understanding how each word relates to the others. This the the perspective that I am addressing in this post: teaching how to solve word problems can be a conundrum for most mathematics teachers because it requires breaking away from our mathematical viewpoint to teaching and involving a literacy skillset which we had not anticipated. Before looking for the numbers to circle, we must first read how the numbers relate to one another. Before underlining the question, we must grasp how this question is applicable to the problem. Boxing key words is negated when the mathematician-turned-reader no longer uses key words as a replacement for comprehension. Once comprehension is established, the mathematician can evaluate the relationships between the quantities and apply their mathematics skillset to solving the problem.
Solving word problems is not a strategy. From a pedagogical perspective, applying literacy skills to first comprehending the words before addressing the math is a strategic approach to teaching our students lifelong skills.
As a classroom teacher, I was often confused about why quick fix strategies didn't really work. I tried a few different approaches to teaching how to solve word problems. Some of them worked, some didn't. After I left the classroom to write curriculum, I had more time to research and understand what I was doing wrong and some of the things I did right. In later blogs, I will share with you my journey and my research. I hope you share as well so that we can all become stronger educators and impact our students positively.
- My student can perform the math isolated from the word problem. It is understanding what operations and numbers to use in a word problem that is the struggle.
- My student can solve problems with a partner, but not alone.
- My student reads below grade level and cannot comprehend word problems.
- My student reads below grade level and struggles with math foundations.
Word problems are tricky. Instead of numbers and operations dictating how to be solved, words get involved and make mathematicians decide the numbers and operations, determine values, relationships, and decipher what exactly needs to be answered based on what they read. Most people envision numbers and equations when they hear the word mathematics. Not too many people picture words.
Because words are a key component to word problems, the role in how words are used to unveil how quantities and values relate to one another must be acknowledged, not ignored. However, this is still a novel perspective for many mathematics teachers. We aren't exactly taught in our mathematical pedagogical classes that words matter. (If you were, kudos to you for being ahead of the rest of us.) This is why there are so many "quick fix" solutions to teaching word problem strategies. A quick google search demonstrates just how popular problem solving strategies are. For copyright purposes, I have made my own poster, but an internet search will show its likeness to what is out there.
Notice that in all the verbs mentioned--circle, underline, box, evaluate, draw, solve and check-- the word comprehend is not present. When reading, comprehension is a mandatory factor to understanding how each word relates to the others. This the the perspective that I am addressing in this post: teaching how to solve word problems can be a conundrum for most mathematics teachers because it requires breaking away from our mathematical viewpoint to teaching and involving a literacy skillset which we had not anticipated. Before looking for the numbers to circle, we must first read how the numbers relate to one another. Before underlining the question, we must grasp how this question is applicable to the problem. Boxing key words is negated when the mathematician-turned-reader no longer uses key words as a replacement for comprehension. Once comprehension is established, the mathematician can evaluate the relationships between the quantities and apply their mathematics skillset to solving the problem.
Solving word problems is not a strategy. From a pedagogical perspective, applying literacy skills to first comprehending the words before addressing the math is a strategic approach to teaching our students lifelong skills.
As a classroom teacher, I was often confused about why quick fix strategies didn't really work. I tried a few different approaches to teaching how to solve word problems. Some of them worked, some didn't. After I left the classroom to write curriculum, I had more time to research and understand what I was doing wrong and some of the things I did right. In later blogs, I will share with you my journey and my research. I hope you share as well so that we can all become stronger educators and impact our students positively.
