Using Math Journals To Assess Students.

 

If you have students use math journals, at some point you'll have to read through them. Do you need to grade them regularly?  How do you use the material contained in the journals to help assess student understanding?  

Use the journals to help you, the teacher, determine more about your students and their understanding.  When you read the entries think about these things such as is the answer correct?, Does the students thought process support the solution they obtained?, If they have to come up with a numerical solution, did they show all their work or did they rely on "mental math"?, Is there something more you want to know about the student's thinking and process?

It is not necessary to comment on every entry, every day.  The only time a teacher really needs to leave feedback is when assessing for personal progress, otherwise a checkmark works fine.  When you leave feedback, do not use the general "Good job" type comments.  You should leave more specific comments that are in response to what they wrote.  Focus on the mathematics used in the problem, their reasoning, or  make suggestion on their thinking.  Take this one step further by meeting one on one with each student for a more personalized interaction.

Since journal entries often require students to show their thinking or reasoning, teachers can use the information to understand their thinking and progress.  In addition, the information can be used to plan the next lessons based on their understanding or misunderstanding of the material.  It allows the teacher to provide extra support to students who need additional scaffolding and providing extensions for those who have mastered the topic.

Furthermore, there has been at least one study done showing that when math journals are used for assessment, the entries actually show the level of student understanding for a specific topic whereas problems on a test can be done without full understanding of the concept. When students use math journals, they've showed an improvement mathematical thinking, vocabulary, and student showing improved understanding of the concept.

If you want to do some sort of daily assessment, you can do the assessment based on did they complete the assignment? Or did they use some sort of diagram or drawing to visualize it?  Students are not being graded on the correctness of the solution so they are more willing to try and it allows teachers to see where any misunderstandings lay.

Therefore, math journals are a great way to see where the students are at and what is needed to correct misconceptions.  They provide ongoing evidence and data for the teacher to plan lessons that meet their needs so much better.  Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.