Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments "Story Problems" -- references on terms

Wow. I think I used to use this technique of crossing out and underlining myself! Thanks for the reminder.

FWIW, I think my DD, who is actually very gifted verbally, has some pragmatic language difficulties. This helps to explain her word problem issues, IMO. She sometimes is completely stymied by phrasing in a problem that seems like it should be obvious. It may have nothing to do with math. She just needs me to say, "What they mean is..." a few different ways. I suspect this is related to some of her ASD traits--rigidity about interpreting words and phrases or something.

My son does this as well. He takes the wording so literally that he gets frustrated and ends up over-analyzing questions. Often the problems are terrible written and he's correct that they can't be done the way they are written. On the other hand most of the other kids seem to be able to interpret the question it was intended or make the inference that was left out.

Drawing sketches helps, too-- though this gets to be a better strategy in algebra and beyond. Most scientists I know always work problems this way. It helps, sometimes, to draw a picture and label it with the values from the "word" problem, and then convert directly into symbolic mathematical representations from there.

Not always time in a pinch on an exam, of course-- but I suspect that this is behind the notions implemented in Common Core regarding "visual representations" of math. It does help when it comes to applied problem-solving.

This is, of course, the procedure taught in the Singapore Method. Only more effectively than in most CC textbooks.

I had similar difficulties when these types of problems were introduced in school. I could solve everything up to that point practically instantly; suddenly being unable to do so, I felt it was impossible, and that I had to quickly guess the correct answer. I think it took me some time of solving these questions very slowly and precisely to raise my confidence (ignoring my teacher's complaints that I wasn't keeping up with class, or even listening, because I was still working on problems from 5-10 minutes ago at my own pace). Once I could answer consistently correctly, my pace picked up, and I was eventually ahead of everyone again. It is probably important for your son to build that confidence, too.

I think I panicked because I felt I had to answer instantly. My existence was basically defined as the math genius who solves everything instantly, at that point. Your son's difficulties sound similar in a way. His expectations of himself are possibly unrealistic; thus, he panics.

I wondered if there was a psychological element, too. DD is never intimidated by pure numbers, or indeed by shapes and angles, but there's something about the unpredictability of words ("What do I do with it?") that freaks her out. It's less scripted. I'm not sure if this reflects more on her personality or how she has been taught.

The way I understand it is that, at its core, math is a language we use to describe relationships. Your DD speaks English, and she speaks math, but she's still developing her skills in translating one to the other.

Math is purely abstract, after all, and a "story problem" is more concrete.

What Dude said.

I think for the OP switching textbook/curriculum may have something to do with it. My DS uses Go Math and for all its faults, it started with word problem in K and does ask the kid to come up with word problems for a equation too.

I never had a problem with word problem in Math. But I had a hard time in Newtonian physics. I often had trouble knowing how to translate the stated problem into equations. I never had problems with the other parts of physics either. In my case, I didn't really understand the physics.

It's weird about the pictures. DD was taught to do all those stupid arrays and to draw blocks and circles and whatever for certain scripted operations early on (and God forbid you NOT do that, even if you already knew the answer without it). But these days, I am not aware of anyone encouraging her to draw pictures or use tables or other graphic representations to solve word problems, another strategy I used with success to help me get around my own poor intrinsic number sense. I'm always suggesting this, and she looks at me like I'm nuts because it's not something they seem to do. Of course, this is not always helpful, but it's just a thing to try when you don't know how to approach something. Meanwhile, DD does not like "trying things"-- when it comes to math, she wants to know "how to do it." Here, in fact, I see some emotional roadblocks to good problem-solving that may be a result of underchallenge OR of unimaginative teaching.