https://hechingerreport.org/why-schools-are-teaching-math-word-problems-all-wrong/ Covering Innovation & Inequality in Education Mon, 08 Jul 2024 21:45:13 +0000 hourly 1 https://hechingerreport.org/why-schools-are-teaching-math-word-problems-all-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-71643 Mon, 08 Jul 2024 21:45:13 +0000 https://hechingerreport.org/?p=101690#comment-71643 I am a retired math teacher (high school, community college) and a book author, The Book for Math Empowerment (1997). I have a question: Why are “word” problems being taught to 2nd graders? They should be taught to read/spell well and they should be taught to memorize their number facts in second grade. Also – are they being taught math by teachers who themselves are math-phobic? What am I missing in this scenario?

]]> https://hechingerreport.org/why-schools-are-teaching-math-word-problems-all-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-71640 Mon, 08 Jul 2024 18:19:29 +0000 https://hechingerreport.org/?p=101690#comment-71640 Do they have a list of the schemas for older grades? I like the ideas but as we head into 8th grade and Algebra 1 become more difficult. Would love to hear more.

]]> https://hechingerreport.org/why-schools-are-teaching-math-word-problems-all-wrong/comment-page-1/#comment-70923 Tue, 02 Jul 2024 03:36:29 +0000 https://hechingerreport.org/?p=101690#comment-70923 In the last example of the word problem involving the shirts would the teacher have been fine with either explanation. One thought would be that there is a total number of shirts (41) with one part being sold (21) leaving the other part on hand (26). Another way of thinking about the problem would be a change happening with the beginning number of (47) shirts being reduced or changed by the number being taken away (21), leaving the rest (26).

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