Teaching Operation Metaphors 1

Metaphors underlying operations are more difficult to understand and are the major cause of difficulties with students face with word problems.

Many of the examples quoted in the previous chapters may look almost same for adults. This is because we are developmentally mature enough to see the concepts behind these life experiences. In fact we are so familiar with these life situations that we fail to see how they are different! Children do not have either the experiences, or the mental ability to draw such abstract conclusions. For them each is a different kind of life experience.

Hence the teacher needs to introduce each of these experiences through activities and allow children to absorb these ideas.

Varying Levels of Difficulty

The metaphors are also of varying difficulties. In the previous chapter, the metaphors have been presented broadly in an increasing order of difficulty. Hence the different metaphors for the same operation may have to be introduced at various class levels depending on their difficulty level.

For example it may be a better idea to introduce addition as “put together” in Class 1 & addition as “more than” in class 2.

Suggested Sequence of Teaching

Operation metaphors are varied in their complexity and many are inverses of one another. Hence the following sequence is suggested for teaching them.

Teaching “put together” and “take away” together will enable children to see that the situations are inverses of each other. This will deepen their understanding.

Inverses of One Other

Also many of the metaphors are inverse images of others. It would be advantageous to introduce them simultaneously so that students can see that they are related. For example the idea of “put together” is an inverse of the idea of “take away”. Introducing them together would make it easier for students to understand.