Worksheet

Worksheet commonly refers to a sheet of paper with questions for students and places to record answers. The term may also refer to a single array of data in spreadsheet software or an informal piece of paper that an accountant uses to record information.

Etymology

The word “worksheet” is a compound noun composed of the words “work” and “sheet”.^[1][2] The first attested use of the word “worksheet” was around the year 1900.^[3]

Education

In the classroom setting worksheets usually refer to a loose sheet of paper with questions or exercises for students to complete and record answers.^[4] They are used, to some degree, in most subjects, and have widespread use in the math curriculum where there are two major types. The first type of math worksheet contains a collection of similar math problems or exercises. Theses are intended to help a student become proficient in a particular mathematical skill that was taught to them in class. They are commonly given to students as homework. The second type of math worksheet is intended to introduce new topics, and are often completed in the classroom. They are made up of a progressive set of questions that leads to an understanding of the topic to be learned.^[5]

Worksheet generators are often used to develop the type of worksheets that contain a collection of similar problems. A worksheet generator is a software program that quickly generates a collection of problems, particularly in mathematics or numeracy. Such software is often used by teachers to make classroom materials and tests. Worksheet generators may be loaded on local computers or accessed via a website.^[6][7]

Accounting

In accounting a worksheet often refers to a loose leaf piece of stationery from a columnar pad, as opposed to one that has been bound into a physical ledger book. From this, the term was extended to designate a single, two-dimensional array of data within a computerized spreadsheet program. Common types of worksheets used in business include financial statements, such as profit and loss reports. Analysts, investors, and accountants track a company's financial statements, balance sheets, and other data on worksheets.

In spreadsheet programs like Microsoft's Excel or the open source LibreOffice Calc, a single document is known as a 'workbook' and may have by default three arrays or 'worksheets'. One advantage of such programs is that they can contain formulae so that if one cell value is changed, the entire document is automatically updated, based on those formulae.

References

1. Lock, Graham. Functional English Grammar: An Introduction for Second Language Teachers. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1996
2. Worksheet. Online Etymology Dictionary. Web. Retrieved on 24 September 2014.
3. "Google Ngram Viewer". Google Books. Google Research. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
4. "Worksheet". Cambridge Dictionaries online. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
5. Fauvel, John; Maanen, Jan; van Maanen, J.A. (2000). History in Mathematics Education: An ICMI Study. Springer Science & Business Media. p. 216. ISBN 9780792363996. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
6. "Multiplication Worksheet Generator". STEM Sheets. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
7. "Math Worksheet Generator". Microsoft Educator Network. Microsoft. Retrieved 25 September 2014.