Word problems cause many students stress. Many problems have multi-step processes that confuse students. They do not know how to attack the problem. Students who struggle with reading also often have difficulty with word problems. Strong readers are not exempt from the struggle to find clues to solve problems. However, world problems are what they will encounter in the real world.
Problems With Word Problems
The problem with word problems is that they can be misleading. Students must understand what they read, figure out the operation, and correctly calculate to solve. Word problems are important in helping students learn number sense and understand mathematical concepts.
Often, students have trouble with focus. They lose focus by rushing through the problem. Thus, they tend to skip important parts to solve the problem. Students struggle with comprehension and what the problem is asking. Specifically, they struggle with vocabulary, identifying specific details, sequencing what is important, and identifying the main idea of the problem.
- Vocabulary confuses students because there are various synonyms that are used in the problems.
- Details cause problems because some problems are long. This causes students to miss important parts of solving.
- Once students gather the needed details and information, sequencing the facts in the correct order to solve becomes a challenge.
- To find an answer, students must understand the question. They need to know exactly what it is they need to solve.
Working through word problems is a matter of comprehending what is asked.
Types of Problems
There are various types of problems faced by today’s math students. Understanding the type of word problem is better than memorizing key words.
Most word problems are broken into categories. They have students join or separate objects (action), consist of part-part-whole (relationship), and compare objects (comparison). These are the basic structures of the problems. The first step in solving is to understand the type of problem. It is not to identify certain vocabulary words.
Setting up a framework for students to solve problems is helpful. Teaming students together helps to combine thinking and problem-solving methods. This helps students to justify their ideas.
In understanding the how and why of word problems, there will be no math anxiety. As students learn to identify and categorize word problems, they easily understand how to get the correct answer. They develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills that apply to real-life situations. Word problems challenge students and improve their reading comprehension.
