I have never really given much thought to putting math and writing together. Although I do know the amount of pressure that is forced upon teachers to incorporate writing into all content areas. I have always thought of math as just numbers. It is a lot easier to see how writing fits into other areas. For history, the students can write an essay about people, major events, etc. In science, students keep logs of their experiments and take notes on their observations. Then, English is all about writing, and reading and writing complement each other. But as for math, I thought that this is where students got a break from writing. The only form of writing I have had to do for math is write an essay about a mathematician. However, this chapter has showed me how incorporating writing is important.
One thing I liked about the chapter was it talked about having the students write down everything they already know about a topic and any questions they have about the topic before it is discussed. I like this because it prepares the students for learning. This also lets the teacher know exactly how much the students already understand about the concept, which lets the teacher know where she needs to begin her teaching. However, if the students are doing this at the beginning of class and are writing about the day's topic, when does the teacher have time to read the students' responses before teaching the concept? If the idea is to use the responses to gauge where you begin teaching, then, doing it the morning of defeats the purpose. I think I would do this at the end of the class period before I planned on teaching the concept. Then, I would be able to use their responses to shape my teaching.
Another thing I liked that the chapter mentioned is explaining how and why you answered a math problem the way you did. I like this because it lets the teacher know that the student truly understands what he is doing or if he is just guessing. I also think this is a great way to help students gather their thoughts and keep their thoughts organized without becoming overwhelmed.
The reason I have mainly focused on math is I want to be a fourth grade math teacher. Therefore, the ways to incorporate writing to learn math stuck out to me the most. However, I did like the RAFT approach which can be used in all content areas. I think that this would have helped me tremendously in history because I had a hard time concentrating on the main idea. All I did was memorize what I needed to know for the test and then I forgot it. I feel that if I would have been given a strategy like RAFT, I would have been able to actually learn what it is I needed to learn. Ina conclusion, I think that the ideas in this chapter should be carried with us to our future classroom because using writing to learn is instrumental in helping students understand. This chapter also left me with a question. What can you do for the students who struggle with conveying their thoughts through writing?
Ashley, I really enjoyed reading your post. I also really like the idea about students writing about what they know on a topic and any questions they have. I think this prepares them and gives time for thought before a lesson. I think I would be more intrigued during lessons if I had to do this before each lesson. I also agree with your pros and cons for this idea. The students could ask their questions in class before the lesson, but I can also see that this would take up a lot of time that is not available.
ReplyDeleteExplaining the math problem is a really good idea for a writing assignment. I think this will not only provide more opportunities for writing but also help the students understand more about what they are doing and maybe catch their own mistakes. Your article has really got me thinking about writing in math and how much it is important. Just like you said for yourself, I had really never thought about writing in math. I now feel like we have great resources for our future classrooms.
One thing I liked about the chapter was it talked about having the students write down everything they already know about a topic and any questions they have about the topic before it is discussed. Hi Ashley, for some reason I honed in on this part of your posting: "I like this because it prepares the students for learning. This also lets the teacher know exactly how much the students already understand about the concept, which lets the teacher know where she needs to begin her teaching. However, if the students are doing this at the beginning of class and are writing about the day's topic, when does the teacher have time to read the students' responses before teaching the concept?" For me, we say it all the time in our ed program "to activate prior knowledge." But what does that really mean? I think teaching learners (ourselves included) to constantly make connections, however "out-there" they may be, can be a powerful way of understanding information in personal ways. We'll actually do some "text-to-self" connecting in class today, which is another cliché, but one that can be powerful if realized. About struggling writers, that's all of us in a way (just my two cents), so giving youth times to write without pressure is paramount. It still holds true for me as an adult who writes everyday. Dr B
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