Word problems or story problems have been a part of mathematical education for the past 4 000
years. This book considers mathematical word problems as a genre drawing on analytic theory
from linguistics literary criticism and mathematics education. Raising the question «what
are word problems?» this book addresses it by «taking a walk» around the genre to see it from
many points of view including the linguistic the historical and the pedagogical. A Man Left
Albuquerque Heading East sheds light on the nature of genre in education and inspires teachers
to use word problems in new ways with different intentions.
