The Writing Process Applied To Math.

 I came across an interesting idea to use in math that makes total sense.  Let's look at the writing process used in English.  In theory, one brainstorms ideas on a topic.  The ideas are used to create the first draft before going over it and revising it multiple times till the final product.  Although many students think they can write the perfect paper on the first try, the reality is that it takes multiple revisions.  English teachers encourage or require multiple rewrites with peer reviews or teacher review.

In math, most of the time, students operate under the assumption that the should be able to get the problem solved in one try and if they can't something is wrong but what if we applied the language of a writing to solving problems.

The first step is to brainstorm ideas and thoughts for a paper but in math the equivalent would be to brainstorm the strategy one uses to solve the problem.  In English, the writer assembles the ideas into the first draft so in math we should think that the first attempt at solving the problem as the first draft.  When a person makes a second attempt at solving the problem it is like writing a second draft.  

I tutored someone in writing papers in college.  I spend a lot of time explaining that once you make a change anywhere in the paper, the rest of it has to be adjusted. The same applies to solving a problem.  If a student makes a arithmetic mistake, going back and correction the calculation is not going to make a change in the solution unless making the appropriate changes that result from the correction.  It is neat to think of every attempt as a rough draft and the final paper is completed when the correct solution is reached.  

So how can one present this to students so it becomes a part of their lives. By this I mean, so they are willing to redo a problem as many times as they need to come up with the correct answer.  One way, is to have students work open ended questions on a form with multiple compartments.  Students make their first try in the first box and when they make a mistake, rather than erasing their work, they stop and make their second attempt in the second box.  When they finally reach a solution, they have a record of the different ways they tried.

This record allows students to review what they tried, think of new ways to try and they have a record of their learning because as they get better at solving a specific type of problem, they can see it because it will take fewer tries to solve.  

A teacher could have students use this type of paper to show their work for each problem on an assignment. The work is shown on the paper while the answer is placed on the assigned sheet.  The record also allows the teacher to assess their understanding of the concept and the process.  I found a great worksheet for having students show their attempt on the OpenMiddle website.  Although it is designed to go with those problems, it is the perfect sheet for students to do all work on because it asks them to verbalize what they learned at the end of each attempt.  

I love this concept because it helps students see that it is ok to take several tries to find the solution to a problem and that each time the student makes an attempt, they learn something.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.