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.
To help struggling students, my colleague Sarah Carr wrote about how some teachers are mixing up the types of math word problems they use and zeroing in on the underlying structure of the problem. The takeaway, according to one teacher, is to get students thinking about what the question is asking.
More on early education math
Holly Korbey wrote about how kindergarten math often repeats what students already learned in preschool for The Hechinger Report this spring.
Last fall, I wrote about how early educators can experience anxiety about teaching math because of their own bad past experiences.
Quick Take
Only 1 in 7 children who are eligible for state child care subsidies actually receive one, according to new research from the Center for Law and Social Policy. Access to subsidies varies state to state, but no state had more than 50 percent of eligible children receiving subsidies, the report said.
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