Writing to learn in math class: a case study of a middle-school unit on geometry
Since it was first proposed more than fifty years ago, writing to learn as a pedagogical method has been the subject of considerable study. Meta-analyses generally find that writing-to-learn interventions are positively correlated with student learning and achievement, but many details remain unknown. Furthermore, there are relatively few studies of writing to learn math in the middle-school grade band. This work is a qualitative case study of a writing-to-learn activity in a sixth-grade geometry unit. The theories that undergird this study are constructivism and metacognition. The research questions are "What is the influence of writing-to-learn activities on student learning in a middle-school math class?" and "How do students experience and respond to writing-to-learn activities in a middle-school math class?" For two weeks, students completed a short writing assignment before a class discussion of the day’s lesson. Students also kept math journals in which they recorded their reflections. The teacher-researcher also recorded her reflections. Finally, results of short summative assessments were also collected for analysis. Data from these four sources were coded by the teacher-researcher and an off-site collaborator. The results of the study suggest that writing to learn can improve learning outcomes among middle school math students. The results also suggest that all but one student had a favorable experience with the writing tasks. Study of the student writing work product shows that students made an effort to complete the tasks and were enthusiastic about them, although the quality and accuracy of their writing was uneven. The student journal entries showed that all but one student viewed the writing tasks favorably and felt that the writing tasks helped them to organize their thoughts and participate in class discussions. The teacher-researcher journal entries showed that the teacher-researcher also found the writing tasks to be helpful for student learning and to facilitate discussion. Finally, the summative assessments showed that student learning was good with an average score of 8.32/10. Based on the results, it is suggested that teachers receive training in how to implement writing to learn activities in the math classroom and that additional research be conducted to further elucidate how different factors affect the efficacy of writing to learn tasks in math class.
Writing to Learn, Mathematics Education, Constructivism, Metacognition, Middle School Geometry
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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