Advice on making sure that you're reading the problem correctly?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around strategies for accurately interpreting math problems, particularly in the context of potential reading difficulties such as dyslexia. Participants share personal experiences and suggest methods to improve comprehension of mathematical notation and problem statements.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about misreading math problems, suggesting a possible connection to dyslexia.
  • Another participant recommends techniques such as drawing pictures, rewriting facts, underlining, or reading problems aloud to enhance understanding.
  • A participant shares a specific experience of misinterpreting a problem involving converting minutes and seconds to degrees, highlighting the importance of careful reading.
  • There is a mention of personal experiences with confusion in directional understanding, relating it to potential reading difficulties.
  • One participant emphasizes the dense presentation of information in mathematics and the need for clarity in understanding notation.
  • Suggestions are made to seek clarification on notation from instructors or peers if there is uncertainty.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the challenges posed by misreading problems and the importance of employing strategies to improve comprehension. However, there is no consensus on the best methods or the extent to which dyslexia affects mathematical problem-solving.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference personal experiences that may not be universally applicable, and there is an acknowledgment of the varying degrees of reading difficulties among individuals. The discussion does not resolve the complexities of dyslexia or its impact on learning mathematics.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for students experiencing difficulties in reading math problems, educators seeking to understand student challenges, and individuals interested in strategies for improving comprehension in mathematics.

Tyrion101
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I think I have a touch of dyslexia (or the number version of this) and nearly all of my problems in math have occurred because I misread the problem completely. What can I do to ensure that I am indeed seeing what I think I'm seeing?
 
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Try drawing a picture or rewriting the facts down on paper. Also maybe you could underline or speak read the problem out loud.

I did find an article related to dyslexia and science that also may shed some light on what's going on.

http://www.dsse.org.uk/resources/2_10ScienceSubjectsP.pdf
 
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Thanks, I'll post an illustration to what is happening: is spent all day getting a problem wrong on my homework, finally started getting half of it right, the problem was converting minutes and seconds to degrees, and I happened to agave a thought that I may have been misreading the top problem, which just had a degree and something besides it. I thought it was minutes, turned out it was seconds. As soon as I saw that, I got both parts of the problem correct.
 
That could well be dyslexia. I used to have issues with left and right confusion. On my drivers test the instructor said take a right turn and I put the signal on for left and took a left. He told me what I did wrong but still passed me because I signalled correctly for the turn I took.
 
Tyrion101 said:
I think I have a touch of dyslexia (or the number version of this) and nearly all of my problems in math have occurred because I misread the problem completely. What can I do to ensure that I am indeed seeing what I think I'm seeing?
Mathematics is different from many other disciplines in that information is often presented in a compact form that is very dense. You can't just skim through it. Whether you do or don't have dyslexia, it's important to make sure that you understand what is being conveyed in the problem. You want to be sure to work the problem as it is stated.

In your example of converting minutes and seconds to degrees, it's important to be very clear on your understanding of the notation being used. If you are uncertain about what it says, look up the definition, ask the instructor, or ask here for clarification.
jedishrfu said:
That could well be dyslexia. I used to have issues with left and right confusion. On my drivers test the instructor said take a right turn and I put the signal on for left and took a left. He told me what I did wrong but still passed me because I signalled correctly for the turn I took.
Many people don't have a good grasph on left vs. right. I was in the US Army back in the 60s, and it was firmly impressed on me which way left is and which way right is.
 

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