Word Problems And Problems With Words: A Possible Solution

We began with a question: Why do our students have so much difficulty solving word problems in Math I? Another question followed: Why do our students have so much difficulty writing short (three-to-five paragraph), logical essays in English I? One possible answer: Our students approach math and English problems as if they required entirely different skills. However, aside from their expression in different languages, math and English problems require the same step-by-step analysis, also called problem solving, on the way to solutions. In this paper, we examine possible methods of teaching that analysis. We also propose a closer relationship between math and English curricula as a means of reinforcing our teaching.