Word problems, often described as “math stories,” can make complex math problems more accessible for students. Many students struggle, though, when a combination of words and numbers appear together on a page, according to an Education Week article.
Regular, operations-based math problems can feel completely separate from word problems, often introduced only toward the end of a unit.
This gives students the impression word problems are an “additional” challenge.
English learners, students with disabilities, and students who struggle to read at grade level can find word problems especially challenging. If students can’t break down what a word problem is asking them to do, it’s not a math problem anymore — it’s a literacy issue.
In a nationally representative EdWeek Research Center poll, 29% of math teachers say less than a quarter of their English learners can solve word problems on their own. Most math teachers also report difficulty teaching multi-step word problems, which can take students longer to decode.
Kevin Dykema, a middle school math teacher in Mattawan, Mich. and David Dai, an 8th and 9th grade math instructor at the Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies in Mobile, Ala., offer strategies to help students work through word problems:
- There’s a three-step process to decode a word problem, Dykema explains. First, he asks students to identify a main character or event in the problem.
Second, students are asked to read the question a second time and pay attention to what numbers stand out. Third, students read the problem a third time to determine what it’s asking them to do.
This process slows students down to think more deeply about the problem and helps ease their apprehension about approaching a word problem, Dykema says.
“We need to explain to [our] administrators why spending time on three word problems, instead of five, is a whole lot better [because] we can do a deep dive,” says Dykema.
- Getting the context of the problem right also helps. If Dykema introduces a problem with a softball diamond, or a particular kind of fish, he draws the image for his students before they start working on the problem. Use familiar cues for students when crafting word problems. Students in Michigan will better understand word problems with snow-related activities than students in Alabama or Texas.
- It’s also important to read word problems aloud to help students who struggle with reading, says Dai.
- Pair stronger readers with students who don’t read at grade level to help the latter decode the word problem with their peers. This can also help remove “barriers to accessing the math side of things,” says Dai.
- To apply these strategies, teachers must understand the cultural context and background of their students.
- Technology can help, too. An artificial intelligence tool can reframe a word problem for an 8th grade student who may not be able to read at grade level, Dai says.
- Math teachers should align word problems they find in books to the literacy levels and context of their students. Coordinate with other grade-level teachers to determine how well students can read in other classes such as social studies or English.
- Teachers don’t always need outside experts for professional development sessions. Collaborating with each other during planning periods can develop strategies that work across classrooms.
- When math teachers introduce word problems, they should reflect on how they were taught word problems as students. They shouldn’t use the traditional practice of only getting to a word problem at the end of a unit.
- Start with the word problem to help students understand the problem’s context, which will make strides in decoding.
Education Week
