Sunday, July 6, 2008

Writing Long and Short Response Questions in Math

The importance of writing in Mathematics can no longer be ignored. Long gone are the days of computation skills being the measuring stick to student success. Students are now required to not only show what they understand but to also solve problems and justify their thinking. This no easy task and is one that must be started early. The ability for a student to express his understanding requires more than just mathematical knowledge. It also requires students to be fluent readers and well as writers. I encourage teachers from every grade level to incorporate "math writing" as well as "science writing" in to their language arts curriculum.

1 comment:

Alvinette said...

I also use writing as a part of my math program. Writing helps students learn to solve problems, communicate mathematically, and demonstrate concepts. These attributes will improve a student’s understanding and interest in math concepts. Using writing to justify how students learned a concept is a great way for students to work through the steps of problem solving. A problem solver is someone that questions, investigates, and explores solutions to problems. This can be demonstrated through writing responses. I also like how students are encouraged to try various ways to solve a problem until they find a solution. The various ways that problems can be solved can be seen as students write their thoughts about a problem. Writing encourages decision making using math concepts. At the end of a lesson, I have students complete a reflection. They simply write about the concept that they learned and provide an example. The students that are having trouble with a concept can write about what they do understand and what they don’t understand.