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One of the biggest reasons why some students struggle with word problems is because they aren’t just regular math problems – they involve reading! And more than that,
One of the biggest reasons why some students struggle with word problems is because they aren’t just regular math problems – they involve reading! And more than that, students have to be able to fully comprehend what is happening in the problem in order to figure out how to solve it.
Generally, solving a word problem involves four easy steps: Read through the problem and set up a word equation — that is, an equation that contains words as well as numbers. … Use math to solve the equation. Answer the question the problem asks.
Word problems commonly include mathematical modelling questions, where data and information about a certain system is given and a student is required to develop a model. For example: Jane had $5.00, then spent $2.00. How much does she have now?
Word problems tend to be complicated in part because of their descriptive language. Students often don’t understand what exactly they’re being asked, especially when the problem includes abstract concepts.
Most children love stories, and even problems and puzzles. So why do they have such a hard time with math word problems? I feel the answer lies in the TYPES of word problems they solve in the very first years of school (grades 1-4).
Children often struggle with math word problems because they require an ability to analyze information and extract only the useful elements. Instead of being told directly what operation they need to do, they have to discover it themselves before they can even begin to figure out the solution.
After years of gathering this anecdotal evidence, I have come up with three basic reasons that students avoid, dislike, or fear word problems: The Battle of the Left and Right Brain, The Language Barrier and The Lack of a Plan. Most students are dominant on one side of the brain.
Using these methods, Socratic breaks down the basic concept that needs answering, and can explain the solution to the user based on examples. The app can even solve mathematical or physical word problems: The calculation is determined by filtered keywords, and presents the user with appropriate values.
Nearly 100 years ago, a man named George Polya designed a four-step method to solve all kinds of problems: Understand the problem, make a plan, execute the plan, and look back and reflect. Because the method is simple and generalizes well, it has become a classic method for solving problems.
Word problems offer a way to practice close reading, visualizing, interpreting, and analyzing. … They must read closely to understand what information is important, and visualize it to gain a complete view of the goal. They must know what the question means and analyze the question for clues to how to solve the problem.
For example, in customer service you might find a scenario like, “How would you handle an angry customer?” or “How do you respond when a customer asks for a refund?” Practicing how you might handle these or other scenarios common in your industry can help you call upon solutions quickly when they arise on the job.