Monograph No. 6:
Reading In Mathematics
December 1980
Publication of the Mathematics Council of The Alberta Teachers’ Association
Editor’s Comments
Reading is an essential skill in all subject areas – a skill which should be developed in those subjects. Can we, the teachers of mathematics, assume that skills developed in reading automatically transfer to the reading of mathematics? Or should we teach to ensure the transfer of reading skills?
This edition of the Monograph examines the question of reading in mathematics. Dr. Ahrendt examines the role of reading in the content areas in general.
The contributions of the authors in Section II survey the literature on reading in mathematics. The comprehensive paper of Kirkpatrick and Makar identifies reading skills required in teaching mathematics. Professor Froese’s article continues the analysis. Bye links reading to Piaget’s developmental stages and suggests that language development is an important requisite to reading. Dr. Szetela examines the role of reading in problem solving while Trivett identifies the problem of reading symbols – the ideograms of mathematics.
Section III presents some practical considerations for improving reading skills. Jordan argues that forces in implementing a mathematics curriculum thwart the child’s ability to visualize and argues that problems should be practical and related to the child’s experience. Gerald Coombs shows the application of skills taught in a reading program to reading mathematics. The article by Lamberg and Lamb applies the directed reading procedure to reading mathematics. The articles by Koster and Schill offer definite suggestions for improving the teaching of reading in the context of mathematics.
Section four presents specific ideas for teaching reading skills in mathematics. Five specific strategies, with accompanying exercises, are included in the article by Smith and Nielsen. Appreciation is extended to Marshall Bye for providing the section of teaching ideas compiled by the Calgary Board of Education. The next article, “Vocabulary and Symbols,” was extracted from a Florida Department of Education publication sponsored under the Right to Read Program. Mary Wilmot’s suggestions on mathematics assignment cards present a rich source of activities for the development of mathematics vocabulary.
The final section is a very complete bibliography prepared by Tricia Waddell and Rob Cowie. These former students, now teachers, aided in and encouraged the editor in the development of this Monograph.
A further note of appreciation and recognition must be extended to Tricia Waddell in her capacity as associate editor.
John Percevault
1 – 2
3
John Percevault
4
Part I: Reading in the Content Areas
5 – 9
The Role of the Content Area Teacher and the Teaching of Reading
Kenneth H. Ahrendt
10
11 – 21
Joan Kirkpatrick and Mike Makar
22 – 33
V. Froese
34 – 44
Reading in Mathematics and Cognitive Development
M. P. Bye
45 – 48
Problem Solving in Mathematics: Are Reading Skills Important?
Walter Szetela
49 – 55
Reading in Arithmetic – Mathematics in Reading
John V. Trivett
56
Part III: Practical Considerations
57 – 62
Why Johnny Can’t Visualize – The Failures of the Behaviorists
James H. Jordan
63 – 68
Gerald Coombs
69 – 70
Teaching Children How to Read Mathematics
Raymond C. Schmelter
71 – 77
A Directed Reading Procedure for Mathematics
Walter J. Lamberg and Charles E. Lamb
78 – 82
Teaching Reading Skills in the Mathematics Classroom
John J. Koster
83 – 86
M. J. Schill
86
87 – 99
Reading and Writing Arithmetic
Mary Langer Smith and Karen Jacobsen Nielsen
100 – 108
Calgary Board of Education
109 – 117
Florida Department of Education
118 – 122
Margaret Wilmot
122
123 – 132
Rob Cowie and Tricia Waddell