OVERCOMING MATH ANXIETY
Chapter 5. Word-Problem Solving:
The Heart of the Matter
Word problems, sometimes called "story problems" or "statement problems," are, in my opinion, at the heart of math anxiety. More than any other aspect of elementary arithmetic, except perhaps fractions, word problems cause panic among the math-anxious.
If I can paint a room in 4 hours and my friend can paint the same
room in 2 hours, how long will it take us to paint the room together?
The first wrong answer that many people come up with is 3 hours. This is plainly the result of adding the two amounts of time and dividing by 2. If it took both of us 3 hours to paint the room, my friend who could paint the room alone in 2 hours, would not need my help.
Obviously, problem solving is not really a matter of making logical deductions from memorized formulas, but an exercise in imagination. Cognition has sometimes been defined as "seeing relationships." It is that and more. It is fantasizing about relationships, trying out imagined ones until one is found that fits the situation.
It is always easier for the teacher, the tutor, or the text to
provide one image for the learner to apply than to wait for the
learner to develop her own...
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