What is a Situational Problem in Math? How is it different from a word problem?
Get handout here. The Quebec Educational Program describes a situational problem being “characterized by the need to attain a goal. This objective cannot be instantly achieved, since it is not an exercise involving applications”. It is a situation in which a person is seeking to attain some goal for which a suitable course of action is not immediately apparent (Burns, 2000). There is not usually one right way to get the answer; there is not always one right answer. A word problem requires children to focus on the meaning of arithmetic operations. The problem is translated into a mathematical sentence, and children do the computation called for in that sentence. There is usually one right way to get the answer; there is always one right answer. (Burns, 2000) Why do we do teach situational problems? Because in real life situations, we are rarely given all the information needed in one tidy package. There’s rarely only one possible method or strategy in real life situations; usually you c
