The Importance of Math Vocabulary
The Importance of Math Vocabulary Reference
I have worked with many students who are really great at computation but have difficulty understanding what math questions are asking. Therefore, they get the problem incorrect. Math is its own language. Sometimes that language looks like a written word and sometimes it looks like symbols. Regardless of its form, we must understand the language or it can cause difficulty with math fluency and competency. Some people have a great memory and remember everything the first time they see it...I am not one of those people. If I don't use it, I lose it. I find that a lot of people are just like me. One strategy that helps my students with math is creating a math vocabulary book. And that's what I wanted to show you how to do today. Every math book has a key vocabulary section or a glossary that you can use to help guide you. Most students and teachers ignore this section. A little time spent in the vocabulary section will save you time and frustration. I recommend before every lesson you write down the vocabulary words. I know, it is just one more thing to do but here is Why it is important?
1. You have to understand what the question is asking if you want to get it right.
Students spend time completing the problem, only to get it marked wrong because they did not understand what the question was asking. While many people may think I am simply referring to “word problems,” I’m not. Every math problem gives directions or asks a question of some sort, and a student, no matter how good they are at computation, risks getting the problem wrong if they cannot understand what the question is asking them to do. For example, If the question asks you to “simplify the radical” and you solve the equation you will get the answer wrong. Not only is this a waste of time and super frustrating. This is the first reason why vocab. is important.
2. Often, everyday words have a different meaning in a mathematical context.
Most sports include some unusual lingo – let’s use the fast past game of soccer as an example. If you’ve ever been assigned to coach soccer, you’ll know that there’s little point in asking your player to take a corner kick, pass on the first touch, or get in the back four unless there is a clear understanding of what these technical terms mean. With this analogy in mind, imagine being a student lost in a fast-paced math lesson where they expected to know a lot of math terms. If you don’t they can become confused by the language and the terminology. They soon are going to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and defeated if they get lost in the vocabulary. Taking time to learn the vocabulary and eliminate this. In addition, having a quick reference guide can help you get through this frustration fast.
3. To allow for meaningful math discussions.
One goal of teaching math is to facilitate student discussion. It is important that students are able to bounce ideas off of each other, discuss how they solved a problem or what they’re thinking as they try to work through a problem. Knowing and understanding some of the “math vocabularies” can help students explain their thinking. And while I always encourage students to explain things in their own words, at some point they will need to know precise math terms to move on to deeper understandings and discussion.
4. It’s a fast way to refresh your memory.
Having a math vocabulary reference guide is the best and fastest way to refresh your memory. Who wants to open their textbook to find the math term or look it up online. This takes a lot of time. If you have a quick reference guide you can open it up and find what you need and move on. It's also a great way to take quick notes to help jog your memory. In addition, the mere fact of writing the vocabulary word down helps put the math term into your long-term memory. Therefore, helping you remember from the start. Also a bonus!
