In a previous blog, I talked about fixed vs growth mindsets and shared research about the impacts of mindsets in math. We’ve all seen the effects of fixed mindsets in our classrooms. Students get frustrated, shut down, and believe they aren’t capable of learning. And this happens all too often when students lack a growth mindset with word problems. 

Today I’m sharing actionable advice you can implement immediately to help your students develop a growth mindset with word problems.

Word problems, number stories, story problems – does it matter?

Those of you who have been here for a while know that I think it does. I prefer the term number stories for a variety of reasons. It’s not just semantics. The way we say things matters. Since we’re focusing on the growth mindset today, let’s think about it through that lens.

The Impact of Terminology

Imagine you’re a student sitting in a math class. It’s time to get started. You hear your teacher say, “Today we’re working on word problems. Take out your pencil.” If you’re like lots of kids, you stopped listening when you heard the word “problems”. It immediately signals a challenge ahead.

But let’s say you’re in a different room. This time, imagine hearing the teacher say, “Today we’re working on number stories. Take out your pencil.” Not so scary, right? The word story has a positive connotation. And for a student who already thinks they’re “no good at math”, a number story feels a lot more approachable.

Let’s talk about stories in general

Earlier, I mentioned how stories aren’t that scary. It’s because they’re everywhere! Think about it. How often do you tell a story about something that happened to you during the day? TV shows, movies… they’re all based on stories. And if you were lucky, you have fond memories of curling up at night and falling asleep to a bedtime story.

Stories are so prevalent because they’re logical and structured. Something happens at the beginning, something else happens in the middle, and then something happens at the end. And they’re predictable. There are:

• Problems
• Goals
• Characters
• Settings
• Events

Stories are also relatable. Sometimes it’s just like something that happened to us. Or takes place somewhere we like to go. We have connections with stories because of context. And you know how important context is in math.

In fact, kids can’t develop conceptual understanding without it.

Number Stories and Structures of Equality (SoE)

A lack of understanding is why most kids tend to shut down in math. It’s why some students don’t have a growth mindset with “word problems”. They haven’t yet learned how to use the context to figure out what situations are being presented to them.

SoE was developed as a reading comprehension tool to help students understand number stories. To be able to conceptualize what is happening so they can successfully represent and then solve problems. 

How you introduce a number story is just as important, if not even more so, than the structure itself. 

How to introduce and talk about number stories in a way that develops a growth mindset

• “I can’t do this.”
• “I’m no good at word problems.”
• “This is too hard.”
• “I don’t know what to do.”

You could probably hear the sounds of some of your kid’s voices as you read the list above. It’s a familiar scenario that plays out in classrooms across the country.

We often think of it as an indicator of ability, but statements like these are a better indicator of how students view themselves as mathematicians. They’ve developed a fixed mindset, thinking math is something they can’t do well.

When we hear these ideas being expressed, we should pause and ask ourselves if we’re doing what we can to make math accessible to students.

Here’s where presenting number stories as regular stories comes into play, making them more accessible. Students begin to understand how the structures of stories work and suddenly they’re not so scary. Instead of “I can’t do this.”, you get “Look what I did!”

The initial introduction

When teaching number stories, start with a discussion of the situation. Leave the question off, and avoid discussing strategies for solving at this stage.

Then, read it and talk about it like you would any other story.

• Who are the characters in the story?
• What’s the setting? Where is this story taking place?
  • Ooh, have you ever been to a (setting)?
• What happened at the beginning? the middle? the end?
• What happened first, next, last?
• What are some of the events that happened?
• What’s the action?
• What’s the main idea of this story?

If you leave the question on, additional questions could be:

• What’s the problem in this story?
• What’s the character’s goal? What are they trying to do?
• How did they solve their problem?

And you know what’s fascinating? Students gain context. They not only understand what’s happening but can also visualize it. The story feels accessible and they have the confidence to work through solving it. Little by little, they chip away at the belief they can’t do it.

Conclusion

It’s common for students to face challenges with number stories, but this is also an opportunity for growth in mindset. We have the power as teachers to help our students begin to develop a growth mindset by making math accessible. Using practices, such as intentional ways to provide context for abstract ideas, is one way to do this. When we do this consistently with kids and they experience success, they begin to internalize the idea that they do have the ability to learn something new.