Almost twenty years ago, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) published "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" (2000), which recommended that teachers should incorporate more writing into their math lessons, claiming that writing helps students "consolidate their thinking" (p. 402) by causing them…

Writing in mathematics can improve procedural knowledge and communication skills and may also help students better understand and then remember problems. The majority of mathematics teachers know that they ought to include some writing assignments in their instructional plans, but the challenge of covering the curriculum and the time required to…

Describes how learning logs were used in a second-year algebra class to help students prepare for a review session. (MKR)

Details the authors' investigation of journal writing in first-year algebra and unveils journal writing's connections with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics. (MKR)

Presented is a description of how the NCTM Standard, "Mathematics as Communication," can be addressed using a learn-to-write strategy. Responses are suggested to the questions of why writing about mathematics can improve learning and how this approach can be implemented in the classroom. (MDH)

Describes a project that utilizes journal writing in the mathematics classroom. Journals are a valuable form of assessment for students and teachers and furnish concrete feedback on a student's understanding of a mathematical concept. (ASK)

Presents students' successful writing assessments which alleviate students' fears by assigning interesting trigonometry problems and places students in a setting in which they use critical thinking skills, express their ideas verbally with other students, express their mathematics in writing, and have fun. (ASK)

Presents an activity in which students use their skills as creative thinkers and writers and combine them with their knowledge of geometry to create their own class Book of Creative Geometry. (ASK)

Writing has a place in mathematics classes. It can be used to enhance learning by helping students organize their thoughts. How a journal can be used and analyzed are discussed. (MNS)

Promotes the use of journals, laboratory reports, and portfolios in mathematics class to improve communication between teacher and student, to monitor student progress, to make instructional decisions, and to evaluate student achievement. (MKR)

Provided are tips on note taking for students. Suggestions for changing instruction designed to aid students in their note taking are discussed. (CW)

Reports the results of a survey of mathematicians about their teaching background, pedagogical philosophy, and degree to which they use discovery methods and expressive writing assignments, including journal writing, creating mathematical word problems, and writing term papers. Concludes that, although the majority favor a combination of discovery…

Presents a day of activities to encourage students to participate in mathematics. Five contests include poster; model; mathematics puzzle; mathematics problem challenge; and essay. Some student entries and the rules for each contest are described. (MKR)

Described are classroom strategies chosen to elicit greater involvement by students in the learning process and to furnish opportunities for practice in critical thinking. The advantages and disadvantages of this teaching approach are discussed. (CW)

This article describes the ways in which a portfolio may be used in a mathematics classroom. It explains what a portfolio is, what goes into one, how one can be organized, and how one might be assessed. Examples of junior high school portfolios are included. (JAF)