Journaling Issues.

Over the years, I’ve tried incorporating journaling into my math classroom but it has not gone as well as I would like.  Some of it has to do with the fact that too many of my students reach high school performing at a 3rd grade level. They have trouble articulating thoughts either in written or verbal form.

If I asked what they learned, they would copy things out of their notes or they’d write nothing.  This is the same answer they gave when I asked if there was anything they didn’t understand.  It took me a long time before I realized they didn’t know what to do.

These students went through elementary and middle school without being asked to journal do they didn’t know how or what to do.  Most of the elementary teachers I know, just follow the bare requirements of the text book without asking students to explain their thinking.  I do not believe these teachers learned how to have students express themselves in journals and most do not understand the concepts themselves.

What this means is that most of my students are behind developmentally in mathematics.  They do not have the skill to express their thinking.  Without this ability, it makes it harder, as teachers, to assess their understanding because they can’t explain concepts in their own word.

So I have to use writing prompts that are quite specific such as “I have to isolate the variable because” to give students a focal start.  This gives them a starting point and over time it helps them learn to express themselves.

By the time students get to high school, they should communicate both verbally and in writing, create explanations, pose questions, and design arguments using appropriately correct mathematical language and symbols.

It is suggested one should ask open ended questions if you have to introduce journaling to students. The questions might ask how they feel about a topic, or their opinion on something in math. When they are more comfortable with journaling, ask them to explain how to do something they already know such as adding two decimals together.  Besides choosing something they are familiar with, it also encourages them to review the material.

Then ask students about new material such as “how would you use decimals when you are shopping?” This allows them a chance to articulate their understanding.  Always encourage students to use diagrams, drawings, to help communicate.

I’ve learned to teach students how to express their thinking because they don’t know how.  Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear.  Have a great day.