The Importance of Writing in Math
How do you feel when you’re asked to speak impromptu about your opinion on a deep topic? Believe it or not, although I write blogs, formulating words is not a strength of mine. And though I’ve been told numerous times that I have a great speaking voice, impromptu speaking is not my strength. What about you? I freeze up and then try to communicate my thoughts as well as I can, but my reflective thoughts are always, “I’m sure they think I’m the most unintelligent person in the world.” I need time to sit with my thoughts. I’m a tactile person, so I need to see my thoughts on paper in words first and be able to play with them and move some things around. What if your students felt the same way about writing in math?
What if they aren’t speaking in math and participating in the discussions because they need time to see their thoughts on paper first? Keep reading if you need tips for implementing writing in math class!
Problem Solving Instruction
According to NCTM, communication is an essential part of mathematics. For this reason, students need to be provided with instruction on using writing to express mathematical ideas.
Frequently asking our students to articulate, both orally and in writing, how they solve problems and why they chose their strategies, is an important part of problem-solving instruction.
Susan O’Connell and John SanGiovanni, “Putting the Practices Into Action“
Mathematics writing is also emphasized within the common core standards in the 8 math practice standards. (National Governors Association Center for Best Practice). The aligned practices state that students should be able to:
- Communicate precisely to others (MP6)
In discussions with other students and on their own, students should be able to use clear definitions in their reasoning.
- Construct Viable Arguments (MP3)
Students should be able to not only give correct answers but prove that it makes sense by sharing their reasoning.
- Critique the Mathematics reasoning of others (MP3)
After listening to another student’s reasoning, students should be able to analyze the response and use their mathematical reasoning to evaluate it.
These practices require students to be able to explain how to solve problems and to use clear definitions and vocabulary.
Data Driven Instruction in the Classroom
In response to NCTM standards and the common core, new high-stakes assessments require students to use writing to answer and explain mathematics questions.
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (2000). Principles and standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers (2010). Common core state standards mathematics. Washington, DC: Author.
I’m sure you’ve seen on state practice test questions that students must explain their thinking.
What if students were allowed to think and write before they engaged in discussions?
As mentioned above, for me personally, I need time to get my thoughts on paper first before I speak. I need that time to process and write my thoughts on paper. I need to see it on paper to see if what’s in my head is making sense before I share it with others.
Here are a few questions to reflect on:
How many opportunities are students being given to write in math?
Are we eliminating opportunities for students because we feel it’s too hard for them?
What do we do each day in our classrooms to build mathematical thinkers?
There are some things that you are doing to build thinkers. So give yourself credit for those and build from there. It’s important that we routinely ask students to talk and write as they solve problems. We should consistently and systematically engage students in discussions where they can write and speak.
In my opinion, for students to speak like mathematicians, they have to write like mathematicians first.
One of my favorite quotes is by Francis Parker, the center of all movement in education is the student. So we have to look at what the data is telling us to do. I know, I know, I said the dirty word, DATA. I’ve had several conversations with educators who cringe at the word data. Yes, there have been systems that have abused data, but let’s change our personal relationship with it because data tells us what to do. We can’t move without data. It tells us what moves need to be made in our classroom.
Math State Test Prep
Data-driven instruction is not about teaching to the test. It is about testing the teaching. Based on the data, our students need to be prepared to perform at the same level of rigor as state assessments. I’ve worked at schools with various performance levels and regardless of the level, there is one thing that I’ve noticed. Students struggle with writing about math. One state’s data revealed that students partially respond to questions where they have to write about mathematics. This signals that students can’t properly formulate their thoughts, they don’t fully understand all parts of what they should do or they are just forgetting to answer them. Do you see the same thing with your students?
Math Writing Strategies
Let’s take a look at a few math writing strategies that can help students develop writing in math.
Warm Calling
You’ve heard of cold calling, but have you ever heard of warm calling? This strategy is simply allowing students to do a think-pair-share or a write-pair-share instead of calling on someone blindly. Did you know that the sight of the popularly used popsicle sticks causes physical signs of stress for students? Students get anxious when the cold calling strategy is used. So not only are students having a difficult time formulating their thoughts but add on another layer of stress for them by calling on them when they haven’t volunteered. There may be a very valid reason why they haven’t volunteered.
So, since we are discussing writing in math, let’s go with a write-pair-share. In this strategy, the question is asked and students are allotted time to write their thoughts down first. This is the time when they can see their words on paper and evaluate if their reasoning makes sense or not. The next step is for them to share their thoughts with a partner. So now they are ready to apply math practice 3, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. And might I add, they are ready to do it in a way that decreases math anxiety.
Math Vocabulary Word Wall
To help students formulate their thoughts they must be provided with the necessary tools. One tool that I have found helpful is a word wall. Make sure to emphasize students use math vocabulary to casually speak. For example, when explaining how they solved, instead of allowing them to say, “I added to the two numbers to get my answer”, have them call the numbers what they are. They should say, “I added both addends to get the sum.” The same goes for factors and products. Small changes like this can make a huge difference for students. Their ability to know how to use these words shows that they understand them conceptually. Having a word wall in the classroom gives students a place to look as they are trying to become familiar with mathematical terms. It’s even better when the words have pictures included with the definitions.
If you are a virtual teacher, a suggestion is to have students create a word wall folder. A trifold board or manilla folders can be used to create this at home. Even if you are a brick-and-mortar teacher, a personal word wall on a manilla folder isn’t a bad idea either. This makes the word wall portable for the students and easier to access. It also makes it customizable where students can add words specific to their own personal needs. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention these magnetic reusable strips. Parents, you can turn your refrigerator into a word wall!!! 🤯
Math Writing Strategy
My husband and I have created a 4 step framework to help students become writers in math. This is my math writing strategy. As I mentioned earlier, words don’t come to me naturally. He’s a former English teacher and he has a gift for words. As a matter of fact, as soon as I finish typing this blog I’m going to have him give it a read so I can get the green light before I post it. Lol!
But anyway, I kept getting frustrated with getting my students to write in math and being able to explain their thinking. They were also not answering the questions that were asked. I told him what I wanted my students to be able to do and he gave me the acronym for it. So the 4 step framework is a combination of strategies that I have used to help my students write like mathematicians.
There are 4 steps to teaching math the “write” way:
- Understand the Expectations
- Comprehend the Problem
- Develop Math Vocabulary
- Develop Writing
These strategies even helped me as a teacher. Before I give my students any assignment, I make sure that I can do the work first and I create the exemplar model so that my expectations can be calibrated. I applied these strategies myself and they were a game changer for me as someone who struggles to gather words to form my thoughts.
If you’d like to know more about this writing framework, I have the perfect workshop for you. This workshop breaks down each step of the framework and gives you practical tips for implementing this into your math classroom.
To get students comfortable with writing in the math classroom, it is imperative that they feel supported and that the culture is one where students are okay with making mistakes. For several students, their biggest hurdle with math is math anxiety which is due to low self-efficacy. If you’d like support with building this positive culture, I have a free gift for you. Download the free guide below and you are off on your first step to building a classroom that develops student self-efficacy in math.
