Math+Literacy

Many students consider math as a foreign language and in a way it is. The mathematics language is composed of vocabulary unfamiliar to students as well as symbols that are used to represent nouns, verbs, and adjectives. For example, a simple sentence such as the one below can also be rewritten using mathematical symbols:

The sum of twice a number and five is ten. <---> 2x + 5 = 10

Often when students encounter a difficult math question, the problem does not lie with the math skills involved in obtaining the solution but the interpretation of the information presented in the question. Nowadays, literacy in math has become essential given that exams such as the SAT and regents are becoming more verbal.

Mastering mathematical skills alone no longer symbolizes a true understanding of mathematics. As in all other subjects, students need to be encouraged to use their writing skills in math. Students need to be able to explain their rationale for their work. Once students are able to verbally express themselves in conjunction to knowing when and how to apply mathematical skills, they then understand math.

The following are several sites that focus on literacy in math:

http://www.literacymatters.org/content/math.htm

http://www.ihsrams.net/literacy/literacyandmath.htm

The following is a math dictionary that includes illustrations to better demonstrate a definition:

http://www.mathwords.com/

Another way for students to practice developing their vocabulary skills is for them to create crossword puzzles for the other students in class to complete. Students can use given vocabulary words from the teacher or use the vocabulary directly from the textbook along with this [|online crossword puzzle maker]. The definitions can be the exact definitions from a book or dictionary, or they can be created by the students themselves along with examples. This way the creator of the puzzle has to put some thought into the assignment as well.

It is also important for a teacher to break down word problems into components so that students can make sense of it. It is so easy for a student to read long problems and get lost in what the question is even asking and they also get confused with the vocabulary that the question uses. A teacher has to try to verbalize the thought process that goes along with a word problem. For example, in the above question "The sum of twice a number and five is ten" It is important to break down the fact that "sum" means addition, "twice" means to multiply by 2, and "is" refers to equals. So when reading you can see that five is being added to 2 times a number and the result is ten so you can come up with the equation of 2x + 5 = 10 (Marcos Cabrera)

From my experience at the elementary level word problems in math is always one of the most challenging concepts for students to understand. I think that learning to break the problem down to see what is being asked is one of the harder tasks for children. Students many times stuggle with understanding what the different vocabulary terms mean and often feel they face a wall when they come across a word that they do not know. Another problem that I see a number of children that often confuse mathematical terms with each other. I have seen many children add when they should multiply, subtract when they should divide and so on. (Jen K)

As a 7th and 8th grade teacher of mathematics for the last 5 years, I have found the significance and advantage students who have a rich vocabularly in terms of not only understanding the material, but appreciating it more too. Many of the words noted are not only mathematical words or terms, but a word such as evaluate, which I know as a 7th grade teacher is used as "evalutate the mathematical expression." I know this means substitute the numbers for the variables (the given letter, usually x or y) and solve. As we move up the mathematical ladder this type of jargon then gets thrown in with words that take on more then one meaning. The word secant can be used in the context of the "secant of a line in reference to a circle" or in Trigonometry as the secant of an angle. Putting this into perspective can be a daunting task if we consider that students fail not so much because they cannot perform the arithmetic operations, but applications and word problems become the core of mathematical studies. (Brett Cohen)