 Concerns of the Mathematics Teacher |
 Some Benefits of Journal Writing |
 When to Write |
 What to Write |
 How to Encourage Writing |
 Responding and Evaluating |
 Journal Writing Prompts |
 The NCTM Says... |
 References |
This website covers the more practical day-to-day concerns of starting and maintaining a successful journal writing program in a mathematics class. The first step in implementing journal writing is usually taken by the teacher who often needs to be convinced of the merit of the program. Other concerns include questions about when and what to write, whether or not to grade journals, and the teachers' and students' roles in a journal writing program.
| Concerns of the Mathematics Teacher |
Some Benefits of Journal Writing |
When to Write |
| What to Write |
How to Encourage Writing |
Responding and Evaluating |
| Journal Writing Prompts |
The NCTM Says... |
References |
McIntosh (1991) claims that the lack of enthusiasm can be attributed to the way that the writing program is presented to mathematics teachers. Many teachers are given the impression that they will have to teach writing as well as mathematics. Some teachers balk at the idea of squeezing something else into an already crowded curriculum. These teachers need to be reassured that using journals does not mean changing the course content, but rather incorporating writing strategies into existing courses.
Grossman, Smith and Miller (1993) remark that, "many mathematics teachers may feel reluctant to relinquish valuable class time for writing exercises. Certainly time spent on reading students' writing adds to teachers' probable extremely full schedule of teaching" (p. 6). Lax (1989) addresses the issue of the amount of class time involved by stating, "the time spent in helping students explain clearly what they mean...will lead to major savings in instruction time later on" (p. 253). Mayer and Hillman (1996) see the time commitment as substantial, but the information they receive from the students' writing is irreplaceable. In fact, the research conducted by Gopen and Smith (1990) indicates that "mathematics teachers can incorporate writing assignments into their courses with significant success and without unduly burdensome extra effort" (p. 18).
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The journals certainly allowed the teacher as a reader to get to know students individually, and to realize their specific problems and difficulties - whether they were of a cognitive or affective nature. As a consequence, the teacher became more aware of the individual needs of each student, and could respond better to them - both individually and corporately. (p. 358)
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The question of when to write can best be answered by each individual teacher who is familiar with their own classes. Since students are sometimes more resistant to new processes and procedures once the school year has started, Norwood and Carter (1994) recommend introducing journal writing at the beginning of the school year. Some teachers prefer to reserve one class in the schedule for journal writing. Chapman, (1996) who uses journal writing about twice a week, varies the timing of journal activities depending on its role in the day's lesson. She found that journal writing was, "an excellent warm-up for a new topic as well as a quick assessment of learning at the end of class" (p. 589).
Elliott (1996) also uses journals at different times during class. "During the first few minutes, students can respond or reply to a review question....The responses can begin discussion, be recycled for a later time, or not be discussed in lieu of simply having caused students to think" (Elliott, 1996, p. 92). Elaborating, Elliott claims that journal writing becomes an excellent tool for evaluating conceptual understanding when spontaneous opportunities arise in the middle of the class. She also has students use the journal entries at the end of class to summarize the day's lesson. Miller (1992) argues that the first few minutes of class, "this generally nonproductive period of class be turned into a constructive time for learning" (p. 354), through journal writing. She suggests that writing helps her, and the students, make the transition to mathematics class.
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While the students are obviously affected by the choice of what to write, Borasi and Rose (1989) suggest that it is also important to consider that teachers may also be affected in their teaching as a result of reading their students' journals. The relationship between students and teachers may also be influenced by the dialogue created through journal writing.
Most teachers use prompts to start the journal writing process. The prompts can be organized into three types: (a) mathematical content, (b) process, and (c) affective/attitudinal (Dougherty, 1996). While these three categories are useful for organizational purposes, they are not mutually exclusive. Some prompts bridge two or more of these classifications. Mathematical content prompts focus on mathematical topics and relationships. Process prompts cause students to reflect on their strategies and their problem-solving methods. Affective/attitudinal prompts are those that reveal more about the personal aspects of the student - their fears, beliefs, outlooks, etc.. Chapman (1996) found that whatever the task, it was important to be explicit, sometimes even modelling responses. The journal writing experience will be different for each teacher and will continue to evolve as classes become more comfortable with the concept.
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There are many ways to encourage students to take part in the journal writing process. However, there are some facets of the process which are essential for success. First, the journals have to be easily accessible. Many teachers keep the journals in their classrooms away from public viewing. This ensures that the journals are never lost, damaged or forgotten at home. The students should have separate notebooks for their journals. This enables them, and their teacher, to periodically look back at their work without searching through several books. This basic organization encourages students to see journal writing as an integral part of their course.
Conversely, Marwine (1989) found it more useful if students did not keep separate notebooks from their class notes because it was more helpful to him to see both. He suggests that students simply date each entry. He does recommend, however, that students write only on one side of the page, because the space is needed for his response and any ensuing dialogue.
The students need to know why they are writing. They have to understand the two basic reasons for writing in mathematics class - to enhance and support their own learning, and to help the teacher monitor their progress (Burns, 1995). Mathematics teachers have to establish themselves as the audience. The students need to see journal writing as an opportunity for one-one-on-one conversation with their teacher.
For journal writing to be effective, teachers should participate in the writing assignments and share their own entries with the class (McMillen, 1986; Norwood and Carter, 1994). Marwine (1989) explains that writing along with the students and sharing what is written are critical aspects of community building. It is also appropriate to have students write in pairs or small groups. Depending on the class and topic, teachers may feel it is of benefit to everyone to have small groups discuss their ideas before each person makes a journal entry (Burns, 1995).
Students who are intimidated by writing need to be reassured that there are no incorrect entries in a journal. All students should be encouraged to use diagrams, tables, lists, flow-charts, etc., to communicate their ideas. Burns (1995) supports primary students by encouraging the use of pictures and at times, takes dictation for the students.
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The added benefit of teacher as reader and responder adds an incentive to write the journal consistently. When students write and teachers read and write back, there is a unique relationship established between each student and the teacher. Students eagerly anticipate the teacher's answers to their questions or comments on their entries. Students and teachers find something to talk about and the classroom becomes more cooperative and humanized as each see the other in a new and personalized light. (Rose, 1989, p. 25).
Gordon and MacInnis (1993) found, "one of the driving forces for the students' writing appeared to be their keen interest in the teacher's response and the need to maintain that communicative bond" (p. 38). McIntosh (1991) reports, "most students, once they begin writing and getting their teacher's responses will continue to write, both in and out of class" (p. 430). Nahrgang and Petersen (1986) and Scott, Williams and Hyslip (1992) agree that teachers' responses to their students' journals is vital to the success of journal writing in mathematics class. While students look forward to teacher responses, they are particularly interested in responses to insights made entirely on their own, i.e., without prompts (Gordon and MacInnis, 1993).
Many teachers, however, find reading and responding to journals a daunting task. Chapman (1996) reports how time-consuming it is to look for misconceptions, give positive feedback and revise teaching strategies. In contrast, McIntosh (1991) suggests that journals do not have to be collected every day, but teachers should read entries and respond in writing, however briefly, at least within a week of the entry being made. Marwine (1989) states, "I look forward to reading journals and responses. It rarely becomes a chore because I enjoy the more personal relationship that such exchange brings" (p. 68).
Teacher responses need to be regular and sincere, but not judgmental or evaluative (Gordon and MacInnis, 1993). The responses could be in the form of questions, comments, or notes of encouragement. What is important is that the student realizes that the teacher has taken the time to respond. While no attempt needs to be made to 'teach' mathematical concepts through responses, an effort should be made to inform students that their misconceptions or concerns have been noted and will be addressed (Borasi and Rose, 1989; Gordon and MacInnis, 1993; and others). Journal entries should receive constructive criticism designed to focus the students' attention on effective writing for communicating mathematics (Mayer and Hillman, 1996).
While the majority of teachers make written comments, some teachers choose not to respond in writing, but to speak to individual students privately. Miller (1992) warns that students should never be singled out in front of everyone. Since a set of journal entries may necessitate a response to the whole class, the teacher then needs to be careful to address everyone without naming individual students.
Miller (1992) suggests not grading the writing for content, spelling or grammatical errors. Journal writing should be a non-threatening opportunity for students to write. Although improving the quality of students' writing is not the primary objective, it can become a benefit over a period of time.
However, some educators do use journal writing as an alternate form of assessment. Most students see their academic world only through grades and report cards. Marwine (1989) reports,"telling students that you will read and respond to what they write but will not grade it is not enough because many students equate being graded with being taken seriously, desiring to work only when they can receive a grade" (p. 62). To some, a task ungraded is often unheeded. Chapman (1996)describes her criteria on which journals are evaluated:
Currently I set such standards as the correct usage of English and punctuation, thoroughness, and neatness. A correct response is not one of the evaluative criteria, but the justification of assertions and conclusions is. Students are compelled to explore their thinking and to state explicitly the results of such exploration. (p. 589)Chapman also found that by raising expectations and the point value of the journals, more students became actively engaged in the quality of the journal as a means of communication.
If journals are to be evaluated, the teacher needs to be clear on what is expected. When journals will be graded, modelling responses for the students may help to clarify any ambiguous points. It would be unfair to grade the journals without first explaining to the students the process and expectations. By grading journals, "those who have been successful with traditional methods are challenged in a new way, and those who have not are given the opportunity to succeed in a different venue (Mayer and Hillman, 1996, p. 432). When asked if the use of writing will frustrate those students who have mastered the mathematical content, Marwine (1989) replied, "it may for those who are not used to questioning what it is they think they know" (p. 69).
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