Why Students Fail Word Problems (Even When They Know the Math)

It’s not motivation. It’s not carelessness. And it’s definitely not because they “need more practice.”
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In this video, I unpack what students are actually doing when they see a word problem, why our well-intentioned teaching habits accidentally train them to guess, and the invisible thinking step that most classrooms skip entirely. You’ll walk away with a simple reframe you can use immediately to help students make sense of problems before they touch the numbers.

If you’re tired of watching capable students shut down the moment math is wrapped in words, this one’s for you.

** THINK Before You Solve Word Problems Workshop ($10) - January 26 @ 7pm EST
https://www.thinkingmathcorner.ca/tby...

📌 Chapters
00:00 – Why students miss word problems (even when they know the math)
00:45 – The common assumption teachers make
01:30 – Why more practice doesn’t fix this
02:05 – What students actually do when they see a word problem
03:10 – Why guessing operations isn’t laziness
03:45 – The invisible step students are skipping
04:30 – Why teachers do this step automatically (and students don’t)
05:05 – A powerful reframe: sense-making before solving
05:40 – Simple classroom shifts you can use right away

Hi, I’m Michelle from Thinking Math Corner. My mission is to work with middle and high school math teachers to build thinkers in the classroom through productive struggle instead of memorization. My self-paced course, Teach for THINKING, supports teachers to develop a problem solving and reasoning classroom culture. Check it out here: https://www.thinkingmathcorner.ca/thi...

📘 Download your free 3 Thinking Triggers Guide here → https://thinkingmathcorner.myflodesk....
💡Check out my TPT store, Thinking Math Corner, for resources that support thinking and reasoning: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/s...

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