xviii ◆ Introduction
students to actually learn something or are we engaging in raging acts of
futility? We should be considering our students within their lived realities
and teaching them to thrive in a future we can’t name. Do we tap into
the need for personalization and relevance? How often do we integrate
technology into the teaching of problem solving? Do we allow them many
opportunities to work in groups and play games around problem solving?
Do we set up learning opportunities that require them to be adaptable,
flexible and resourceful?
So, I have written this book to talk about ways to think about teaching
word problems. There are 12 chapters.
Chapter 1: Real Stories, Deep Understanding
Chapter 1 discusses what problem solving should look like throughout
the math block. It looks at making connections between students’ real
lives and real problems. It also discusses teaching students to persevere.
We need to find ways to get students to think and persevere.
Chapter 2: The Basic Framework
Chapter 2 takes an in-depth look at schema-based problem solving and
one of the landmark professional development ideas for teachers around
this issue—the CGI problem types. This is important because every state
basically uses this framework for its problem-solving standards.
Chapter 3: Problem Types Across the Curriculum
Chapter 3 looks at the various word problems across math domains and
ways to unpack them so that they are comprehensible to students. It
explores different types of schemas for thinking about and solving these
problems.
Chapter 4: Structures to Scaffold Success
Chapter 4 looks at ways to scaffold word problems so that students can
approach them in a calm way. Word problems in the upper elementary
grades can be overwhelming. Students are juggling not only the words
but also the math. There are many moving pieces and scaffolds help stu-
dents to organize those pieces in doable ways.