Word Walls in Mathematics

Mathematics is filled with confusing vocabulary! For example, the word median is used with statistical measures (the middle term in a set of data that is in order numerically) and in geometry (the median of a triangle is the line segment from one vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side). Ask students to find the difference and you might want them to subtract two numbers or you might be asking them to tell you how the numbers differ - odd vs even, prime vs composite. Begin a geometry unit and you have new vocabulary coming at the students fast and furious. So, how can we help our students master the vocabulary as quickly as possible. First, as I mentioned in my previous post, use the vocabulary correctly and use it often. Second, try putting a word wall up in your classroom. There are many ways to design a word wall. You might want to start with the vocabulary word, followed by the definition, followed by a visual. You might want to incorporate the visual within the word. Examples of this can be found at The Broward County Public Schools - Exceptional Student Education page. You will need to scroll down to they yellow link - Mathematic Word Wall. You will need Adobe Reader to view the document. I would suggest that when you begin the school year you have a word wall started. As the year progresses have the students take charge of the word wall. The possibilites are endless - be creative and have fun with it!

Goodbye Plug and Chug, Hello Substitute and Evaluate

Mathematics is a very challenging discipline for many people. So, why do textbooks and teachers make it even more confusing by communicating poorly? Our students are capable of understanding the concepts if we would use the proper terminology. For example, why do we tell students to plug and chug? What does it really mean to plug and chug? What we really want the students to do is substitute the value into the expression and evaluate. I know what you are thinking, what is the big deal? After all, students knew that when you told them to plug and chug you meant place the value in for the variable and perform the order of operations. Well, have you thought about what happens when on a standardized test the directions say to substitute and evaluate? Have you noticed that students try to solve algebraic expressions? Why? They do not understand the difference between an expression and an equation. Here is another example. How many books and teachers ask students to reduce a fraction? Doesn't reduce mean to make smaller? Does the fraction actually get smaller? No, the fraction is equivalent! No wonder students have difficulty understanding the concept of a fraction. What we should be asking the students to do is simplify to lowest terms. One last example, how would you read -3? If you said minus three, doesn't minus mean subtraction? Isn't this really negative three or the opposite of three?

Don't feel bad if you are guilty of poorly communicating the mathematics to your students. In many instances we are mimicking what was in the textbook and relying on how we were taught mathematics. I would encourage all math teachers at all levels to think about the terminology they use. If you are in the habit of using mathematical slang or poor terminology, try to break the habit as soon as possible. Discuss this issue with other math teachers at your school. If everyone begins to use proper terminology, students will also use proper terminology and you will see them make great strides in being able to communicate mathematically.