Word problem “key words” charts abound on lesson-sharing sites like Teachers Pay Teachers. These graphic organizers are designed to remind students which math words signal different operations.

“With multi-step problems, key words don’t work 90 percent of the time,” said Sarah Powell, a professor at the University of Texas in Austin who studies word problems and whose research has ...

Relying too much on key words can lead students astray, particularly because word problems get more complex as students go through school. Because these types of math problems require so many skills ...

In a nationally representative EdWeek Research Center poll, 29% of math teachers said less than a quarter of their English ...

Study shows addressing working memory can help students with math difficulty improve word problem-solving skills Working memory shown to have key role; interventions helped students boost key skills ...

Intervention based on science of reading, math boosts comprehension, word problem-solving skills. ScienceDaily . Retrieved June 2, 2025 from www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2024 / 04 ...

Teachers avoid emphasizing key words and ask students instead to identify first the conceptual type of word problem (or schema, as many practitioners and researchers refer to it) they are dealing with ...

RI EDUCATION Schools are teaching math word problems all wrong. But some educators have found a better way. In Central Falls, R.I., teachers are trying new strategies that move away from focusing ...