Link Roundup: Writing and Talking about Math in the Classroom
Math can be more than numbers. It’s letters, words, sentences. It’s spoken aloud in talks and epiphanized in pattern matching.
Mathematics encompasses multiple areas of problem solving, a number of which are numeric. This can be challenging for some students, many of whom believe themselves to be writers rather than mathematicians. They may have a false image of themselves as being bad at math.
In previous posts on this blog, we’ve looked at the ways that math intersects with other areas of work — or play. This review of Once Upon a Prime shows how mathematics and literature synthesize into art. An older pair of posts considers not just how math can be used in writing class, but how writing can influence math class too.
It can be argued that coding in languages such as Wolfram Language elevates math as well, bringing the computational nature of mathematics to the fore and using that to teach and build. This direct application can help students see the beauty of structured logic, or of the ways in which math facilitates what they want to do. Through comments and notebooks, writing becomes a part of the explanation.
In the following links, check out unique ways to approach math through writing, speaking and narrative, all of which can help students appreciate mathematics more.
“‘Dear Math, You Are Dreadful’: Using Student Storytelling about Math to Transform Classrooms,” shared by the High Tech High Graduate School of Education
This is the first chapter of a book called Dear Math: Why Kids Hate Math and What Teachers Can Do about It. The idea is that students write letters to math to help explore their feelings about it — what they hate about it, what confuses them and so on. While they may not understand why math class makes them anxious when asked directly, using a storytelling approach unlocks something for many students, as this excerpt suggests.
“3 Ways to Get Students to Write about Math” from Edutopia
Writing in math class might be useful, but how does one go about implementing it? What sort of writing strategies help students? In this post from Edutopia, read about three ways of introducing writing into math class, such as having students explain concepts at a five-year-old’s comprehension level.
“Maximizing Math Talk in the Classroom” from the Center for Professional Education of Teachers at Columbia University
Talking about math can be just as valuable as writing about it. This article specifically looks at ways to engage with math talk, which is a verbalization of the thinking and problem-solving aspects of solving math problems. This sort of metacognitive practice can be enlightening for students. Of particular note, this article shares the idea of gallery walks, which add peer-level discussion of these processes. You may also like this article on math literacy.
“Mathematic Autobiographies” from Discovering the Art of Mathematics
This page, one of several on this grant-funded site about math in the liberal arts, shares the idea of math autobiographies. Similar to a “Dear Math” letter, a math autobiography allows students the opportunity to explore their experiences with math, for good or ill. In doing so, they can not only understand themselves better, but potentially build community in sharing their writing with classmates. If you like the idea, there are other pages along with research (note: PDF) you can explore.
“Getting Students to Talk about Math Helps Solve Problems” from Education Week
This Education Week article dives into the research behind how verbalizing math thinking — particularly as conversation — helps to improve problem-solving abilities. In addition to explaining why math talk benefits students, this article gives several ways to implement it in the classroom. For example, having small groups talk about word problems allows for peer-to-peer discussion as well as an opportunity for teachers to ask questions that foster deeper learning.
About the blogger:
Jesika Brooks
Jesika Brooks is an editor and bookworm with a Master of Library and Information Science degree. A lifelong learner herself, she has always been fascinated by the intersection of education and technology. She edits the Tech-Based Teaching blog (and always wants to hear from new voices!).
