Fluency is important to the content area of Mathematics by allowing student to easily read, breakdown, and identify the number of components and operations needed to solve the a word problem. A student lacking in fluency will have difficulty understanding what the problem is asking of them, the quantification of items, and what operations to apply. This will add to the student's anxiety, cause them to rush or guess at the problem, and shut them down before being able to write the equation needed to problem solve.
Using word study, ever changing word walls, and reading problems aloud would be the strategies employed to help the students with fluency within my Math class. Word study would start at the beginning of a unit to help students prepare for what is to come. Word walls would be built out of the the word studies with words, examples in the math, and definitions. Lastly, the read alouds what help read the problem aloud from start to finish, then a re-read with a brief stop at the words that clue in quantifications, operations, etc.
I have had so many students come ask for help on word problems just to find out they didn't even try to read it. They get nervous when they see the words and like you said, shut down before ever trying.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree. If you aren't a fluent reader and don't understand the math terminology, it is much harder to be able to work a math problem where symbols often replace words, have complex meanings, and different meanings depending on how you use them (and from what they may mean in other content areas). Word walls are great, even more so if students really do most of the building of the wall.
ReplyDelete-Darrien
Thank you both. I feel it is like trying to solve a riddle. I, number one, used to hate riddles, as my attention span, and reading skills, frustrated me. I would give up and just ask someone else what the riddle was about. But as with most riddles, the answer is written within it. You just have to read it carefully and apply the information within.
ReplyDeleteGreat statement on fluency and I couldn't agree more. I feel that word walls should be in every classroom regardless of the subject.
ReplyDeleteI remember being one of those students you are talking about who had anxiety about math. I was never a very strong math student and could have benefited from more understanding of vocabulary and the process of solving problems.
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