Why do so many young children struggle with word problems in math? Researchers believe one reason is that students often learn to interpret word problems by focusing on key words such as “and” or “total.”
Relying too much on key words can lead students astray, particularly because word problems get more complex as students go through school.
Because these types of math problems require so many skills beyond number manipulation – like reading and executive function, for example – excelling at word problems is a good indicator that a student is doing well in school overall.
This story about word problems was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the Hechinger newsletter.
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