Word Problems

 To me, word problems have always been the "uh-oh, here it is" part of the test. I can appreciate them for their ability to measure the application portion of math in a way that other questions cannot so I understand their importance. I know that I wouldn't use them in the absurd ways that they are used some times. I am referring to those questions with 560 watermelons and an eleven year old classmate opening up a movie theatre and selling 35 tickets. Simply including your students' names does not fill the void of lack of relatability. Word problems have to be posed in situations that are actually relevant to your students' lives. For example, posing a modelling question around social media brand deals and rates of pay in relation to follower/subscriber count is something I think today's teenagers could relate to. I do find this a personal hurdle in teaching because how can I draw the line between personal feelings towards social media and what kids are into. That's a topic for another day, and another course perhaps.