Writing to Learn in the Content Area, Research Paper Example

Using Writing as a Learning Tool in the Field of Mathematics

Many children – especially those who come from low-income families, struggle with mathematics. Traditional learning models, which have taught reading, writing and arithmetic as separate subjects, have sometimes failed to address the needs of these children. However, recent studies suggest that teachers are beginning to understand the importance of writing in mathematics. Furthermore, those who have properly employed writing as a learning tool in their mathematics classes have had tremendous success in improving student scores, interest and involvement.

Student Struggles with Mathematics

In 2003, Students from The Pikes Peaks region in Colorado Springs, Colorado had reason to celebrate and reason to despair. They had reason to celebrate, because they had done well on their Colorado Student Assessment Program Test (CSAP) tests in reading and writing. But the students of nearly half of all the schools in the Colorado Springs area had done worse on the mathematics portion of the test than ever before. In spite of their higher performance in other areas, Colorado students were still having a great deal of trouble with math (Nieves 1). This is not an isolated case. Students throughout the United States – even those who score well in other subjects, seem to struggle when it comes to mathematics. Indeed, according to The New York Times, in 2009, “Only 39 percent of fourth graders and 34 percent of eighth graders scored at or above the proficient level on the nationwide math test given this spring.” (The New York Times 1)Part of the reason students have such trouble with mathematics may be because it is unnaturally separated from writing. In the real world, math and reading tend to be combined. Indeed, Bernadette Russek (Russek 36) says the following:

Contrary to popular belief, mathematicians must write and must write well. Statisticians write coherent reports; math educators express themselves in the discipline; and pure mathematicians communicate complex, yet precise, ideas.

Separating math and writing, then, can strip mathematics of its context and of its real world meaning.

The Importance of Writing in Mathematics

Owe Kågesten and Johann Engelbrecht observed that Swedish students often treated math as “a mechanical subject in which you do calculations and manipulations and there is very little explanation.” The problem with this, according to Kågesten and Engelbrecht, is that it means that math problems are often understood only superficially. However, say Kågesten and Engelbrecht, verbal and written explanations can lead to deeper student understanding (Kågesten and Engelbrecht). Indeed, many of today’s teachers are beginning to recognize the great importance of incorporating writing in mathematics. Indeed, according to Marlow Ediger, “Quality written communication is necessary in school and in society.” (Ediger) Therefore, he says, it ought to be emphasized across all curriculums. Furthermore, according to Ediger, combining math and writing can help students improve their writing skills. (Ediger 120)

Writing in mathematics is a particularly helpful tool, because, according to Kågesten and Engelbrecht, it is the exercise that involved “the fullest use of the brain.” When they write, students make use of both the right and left hemisphere of the brain – one side for the more technical details and the other for creative writing purposes (Kågesten and Engelbrecht 707).Kågesten and Engelbrecht also note that writing in mathematics provides students with a whole host of advantages. First, writing allows them to organize their thoughts. It also helps them slow down their thinking processes in order to gain a better understanding of what they are learning, why they are correct or why they have made mistakes (Kågesten and Engelbrecht 707).

Student Struggles

One of the mathematic skills with which students often struggle is problem solving. Indeed, according to J.A. Taylor and C McDonald, “Development of mathematical problem solving skills is an age old problem.” This is especially problematic, say Taylor and McDonald, because the development of such skills is necessary for a graduate to be truly mathematically literate (Taylor and McDonald 639).

Methods by which Teachers Can Implement Writing in a Mathematics Classroom

Writing can be incorporated into a mathematics classroom in a wide variety of ways, therefore teachers who wish to use writing as a learning tool have a lot of options. The Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers provides several suggestions. Some of these are very simple. For instance, one suggestion is to have students make a dictionary of mathematical words, with definitions written in their own words (Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers 9). This helps students take into consideration the real meaning of the terms and symbols they have been using and it allows teachers to gain an understanding of areas in which their students struggle to understand.

Other suggestions allowed students to make their mathematics learning more personal. For instance, one suggested that teachers provide students with “sentence starters” for a personal learning journal. Among these starters were sentences such as, “One thing I learned in maths today was…” and “I was pleased that I…” Starters like this help students reflect on the time they have spent on a subject and to recognize the fact that even if they struggle, they can learn something new each day. They also help students stay positive while working on difficult assignments (Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers 19).

Southwell also suggests a number of ways in which writing could be used to further and enhance learning in mathematics. Indeed, Southwell suggests that writing can be used to “to report work completed,to explore mathematical ideas, to reflect on processes and conclusions and for assessment.”(Taylor and McDonald 640)

Problems Incorporating Writing into the Mathematics Classroom

But not every method of writing incorporation works well. Kågesten and Engelbrecht observe, for instance, that finding the proper balance between traditional mathematics learning and writing in the classroom is important, because using creative writing skills too much can actually work against scientific goals and reasoning (Kågesten and Engelbrecht 707).

Furthermore, one teacher whose students generally performed better than average in both mathematics and reading performed very badly when they were asked to write about mathematics. This teacher struggled to help her students combine math with reading until one day, one of her students did a math problem involving a “half dozen” at the board. When another student asked the girl how she got the answer to the question so quickly, the girl told her about going on a trip to a bakery with her mother and learning about dozens, bakers dozens and half dozens. The student’s story made sense to her classmates. It was then that her teacher realized that the problem with the way story problems are traditionally introduced to students is that they generally incorporate stilted words and unfamiliar scenes, followed by a technical question. When students actually heard a story they could relate to, they learned better. There are, then, right ways and wrong ways to go about incorporate writing into the mathematics classroom (Carter 606).

Ediger also suggests that there are right ways and wrong ways to go about combining mathematics and writing. Indeed, he says, “Lessons should not stress drill in written work, but rather contextually, as needed, the students should be assisted to write well.” Furthermore, says Ediger, “Learning needs to be meaningful.” This, he says, will help students make sense of what they have learned. According to Ediger, students learn best when they are able to relate math problems to something they have actually counted. He gives as examples coins, place settings and kittens. Like many others, Ediger also suggests that a learning journal can be very effective (Ediger 120).

Success

When writing is employed in effective ways, however, students become tremendously successful. Carter, noticing that her students remembered her students bakery example and used it repeatedly during other problems in class, tried to find a way to make writing in mathematics more personal for her students. To do this, she had them begin keeping personal learning journals. She repeated sentences when she spoke to them  which followed certain framework sentences such as , “I thought about what _________ said the other day and decided to try his/her strategy,” which she hoped would make learning more personal for her students (Carter 607). She also encouraged her students to think about math, not just as a series of calculations, but as a conversation. She also included picture books illustrating mathematical concepts into her writing workshops. Her students welcomed the combination, enjoying the chance to use their writing skills with math problems and also gaining a renewed interest in writing, as mathematic writing became a new “genre” for them. Her experiment was a success (Carter 607).

Julie Ann Stuart Williams and Randall C. Reid also found success when they brought writing into their mathematics classrooms. Williams and Reid introduced their students to “memo-style” writing, in which the students role-played business executives while solving math problems. At the beginning of the year, students used variables such as X1 and Y1 to define problems. Towards the end, they referred to variables in their business context. The results of this experiment were very positive. Students began identifying variables correctly more often and became more involved in class discussion. Furthermore, students came away from their class with the belief that the skills they had learned in the classroom would transfer into business life (Williams and Reid 326).

Juliet Baxter, John Woodward and Deborah Olson also found that using writing in mathematics could help students succeed where they otherwise did not. Studying a group of low-performing students, Baxter et al realize that some students who scored poorly on traditional math tests were able to successfully explain mathematical concepts and processes through writing (Baxter, Woodward and Olson 119).Baxter et al also observed that writing assignments successfully brought low-performing students into mathematical discussions, even when they did not participate in oral discussions of mathematical concepts (Baxter, Woodward and Olson 121).

Conclusion

Learning mathematics is difficult for today’s American students. Well over half have failed to meet the standards of national tests. Part of the reason for this is that math and writing have been separated and taught only as individual subjects. Teachers who are moving toward combining math and reading are seeing improved participation, interest, scores and understanding. Although some methods of combining writing and math can be distracting, others can lead students to a greater knowledge of mathematics and a better vision for real world situations.

Works Cited

Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers. “Hot Ideas: Writing in Maths.” Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom September 2009: 10-20.

Baxter, Juliet A, John Woodward and Deborah Olson. “Writing in Mathematics: An Alternative Form.” Learning Disabilities Research and Practice 2005: 119-135.

Carter, Susan. “Connecting Mathematics and Writing.” The Reading Teacher 2009: 606-610.

Ediger, Marlow. “Writing in the Mathematics Curriculum.” Journal of Instructional Psychology June 2006: 120-123.

Kågesten, Owe and Johann Engelbrecht. “Supplementary explanations in undergraduate mathematics assessment: a forced formative writing activity.” European Journal of Engineering Education December 2006: 705-715.

Nieves, Danielle. “Student literacy improves/ Math scores fall in half of districts.” The Gazette 31 July 2003.

Russek, Bernadette. “Writing to Learn in Mathematics.” The WAC Journal 31 July 2003: 36-45.

Taylor, J.A and C McDonald. “Writing in groups as a tool for non-routine problem solvingin first year university mathematics.” International Journal of Mathematics Education in Science and Technology 16 July 2007: 639–655.

The New York Times. “How to Improve National Math Scores.” The New York Times: Opinion Pages 15 October 2009.

Williams, Julie A and Randal C Reid. “Developing Problem Solving and Communication in a Management Science Course.” Journal of Education for Business 2010: 323-329.