Challenges and Successes
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I learned...
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My research was challenging primarily because I picked a skill that most students (and adults) do not like. Word problems often cause frustration which can lead to negative attitudes from the students. Therefore the biggest challenge with this research was encouraging students to persevere.
I found that students actually used the strategies I taught them. Instead of trying to get to the answer right away they spent more time thinking of ways to set up the problems. |
Even though my research did not produce the desired results, I was still able to take away something of value. At the beginning of this research I expected that students would be solving more word problems and doing them correctly by the end of the study. Although that did not happen, I realized it is important to not give up on the strategies I taught them. We will continue to work on them for the rest of the year. Next year I plan to emphasize word problems from the beginning so that students have more time with the strategies.
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Impact on Learning
Although word problems continue to be a challenge, I think my students realized that if you do a little more work to set up the problem you will be able to get the correct answer. Many of them were not used to drawing diagrams, but they heard me say "Draw a picture!" so many times it became a habit. They learned that understanding the pieces of a word problem is crucial to being able to label the picture correctly. If your picture is drawn wrong your answer will likely be wrong as well.
Also, I realized that simply having strategies to use is not enough for students to do well. My students said that they didn't know how to do equations so they couldn't do the word problems. It makes sense that if you don't understand the computation you cannot reach the higher level of thinking. I think we need to go back to the basics. Students need more practice with fundamental skills such as addition and subtraction of integers. |
Impact on Teaching
Making word problems the focus of my research caused me to emphasize them more than I ever have before. Before I was guilty of skipping them because we were running out of time or rushing through them so students could work on the assignment. By looking at the structure of word problems I had to think more about teaching mathematical vocabulary in advance. Word problems also shaped the way I taught my students to think about computation. We thought more about if our answers "made sense".
This research also caused me to think about the way tests are structured. Student 1 told me that there were so many other questions that they did not want to go on by the time they got to the word problems. Test fatigue can pose a very real challenge for students, especially those who have low skills in math. I have considered encouraging my students to try the word problems first, or even putting them at the beginning of the test myself. |
Future Instruction
This data will guide future instruction. Too often word problems are overlooked. We teach the basics and let students figure out word problems for themselves. I believe this is because word problems are considered a higher level of thinking and students will not be able to reach that level until they have mastered the basics. Maybe teachers just feel pressured by a lack time. However, this thinking is backwards, as mathematics should equip students with skills they can learn in the real world.
Next year I will most likely not be teaching Pre-Algebra again but I plan to teach students these skills in my Algebra 1-2 courses and anything else I may be teaching. I think all students, even those in upper level classes, can benefit from drawing a diagram of the problem. It forces students to really think about what they are being asked to do. In the future my classes will also spend more time working on the fundamental skills they need to be successful. Even Algebra 1-2 students would benefit from becoming more fluent in their math facts.
I am also considering giving all of my students the word problems survey at the beginning of the year. One of the questions on the survey was "I'm not sure where to start when I see a word problem." Many of my students said that they agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. This let me know that it may be helpful to include in the instructions "Draw a picture" or another strategy they can use. I found that once students had an idea of where to go they were able to get started.
Next year I will most likely not be teaching Pre-Algebra again but I plan to teach students these skills in my Algebra 1-2 courses and anything else I may be teaching. I think all students, even those in upper level classes, can benefit from drawing a diagram of the problem. It forces students to really think about what they are being asked to do. In the future my classes will also spend more time working on the fundamental skills they need to be successful. Even Algebra 1-2 students would benefit from becoming more fluent in their math facts.
I am also considering giving all of my students the word problems survey at the beginning of the year. One of the questions on the survey was "I'm not sure where to start when I see a word problem." Many of my students said that they agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. This let me know that it may be helpful to include in the instructions "Draw a picture" or another strategy they can use. I found that once students had an idea of where to go they were able to get started.
Collaboration
Prior to and throughout this research I spent a lot of time talking to the other Pre-Algebra teacher about his experiences with teaching students word problems. He ran into some of the same challenges I did. I also found that teachers of all math classes faced a similar struggle. Many of them said "My students often skip the Level 4 questions." Word problems are a source of frustration for many students.
After this research I am interested in collaborating with elementary teachers to see if their have similar feelings about word problems. I believe our students could benefit if teachers of all grade levels got together to find out when the frustration begins. More communication among teachers could lead to more solutions early on in education.
After this research I am interested in collaborating with elementary teachers to see if their have similar feelings about word problems. I believe our students could benefit if teachers of all grade levels got together to find out when the frustration begins. More communication among teachers could lead to more solutions early on in education.