Transitioning from teaching whole number operations to teaching fraction operations can prove difficult, even for the seasoned mathematics teacher. However, with effective literacy practices, teachers can seamlessly shift their students to learning the rules for fractions. The implications can be a mastery of mathematical language used to describe…

This article looks at writing tasks as a methodology to support learners' mathematical problem-solving strategies in the South African Foundation Phase context. It is a qualitative case study and explores the relation between the use of writing in mathematics and development of learners' problem-solving strategies and conceptual understanding. The…

The theme for the 62nd annual conference of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers was Educating for a Just Society. Connie Briggs, previous Program Chair, reminded us that, "Education has always been the foundation of a democratic nation. It is important that our students understand the principles upon which our nation was…

Describes a project involving student journal writing designed to examine middle graders' mathematical thinking and disposition. Teachers gained insight into students' conceptual and procedural knowledge and attitudes toward mathematics. Students' responses suggested that they found journals to be a way of sharing their thoughts about mathematics,…

Explains how writing in notebooks, reading textbooks, and homework assignments can be turned into learning strategies in a mathematics classroom and how the combination of the three reflects a comprehensive method for studying. Includes an example of a learning guide on variables and operations. (MKR)

Reports on the differences in two sections of a college course on differential equations. Results on a common examination showed that writing assignments substituted for traditional homework assignments did not improve test performance. However, survey results indicated that students felt the writing assignments, in lieu of additional homework,…

Describes background, focus, expectations, results, and comments concerning an undergraduate capstone course in the history of applied mathematics. Content area writing as a learning activity is recommended to promote an understanding of the history of the developments in mathematics which led to present day techniques, vocabulary, and…

Examines the effects of writing assignments on more than 250 undergraduate students' attitudes and on their classroom performance. The experimental writing group perceived both the subject matter and the course requirements more favorably, and also scored somewhat higher on average for the final examination, though not significantly higher than…

Focusing on how expert writers in various disciplines convey complex ideas, this paper shows how the techniques used by the mathematician, Clark Kimberling, in various writings can (1) be transferred to other disciplines, (2) show learning taking place, and (3) provide models for students to re-enact learning in all subject areas. The paper…

Describes a study in a large metropolitan high school to ascertain what influence the use of regular writing in algebra classes would have on students' attitudes towards algebra and their skills in algebra. Reports the simpler and more direct the writing topics the better. (MVL)

Describes the use of writing activities as tools for teaching mathematics while helping students develop communication and reasoning skills. Writing takes the form of formal essays about mathematical problems, writing to prompts, or focused journal writing. Students learn to clarify, refine, and consolidate thinking. Children learn mathematics…

Based on the idea that journal writing can help students discover gaps in their knowledge and explore relationships by allowing them to reflect on what they have learned, a study examined the usefulness of expressive journal writing in a first grade mathematics program. Subjects, members of a first grade classroom involved in a…

One of the best ways to give students the background knowledge they need to understand math concepts is to teach them the vocabulary and comprehension skills that are essential to understanding math. So here's a book that explains how to do that and provides teachers with lots of classroom-proven ways to prepare students to be successful math…

Elaborates the final step of Polya's heuristic model, reflecting, to improve students' problem-solving performance. After checking answers for accuracy, the following steps are suggested: (1) test reasonableness and practicality; (2) write a summary paragraph; (3) find other solutions; (4) change the conditions; and (5) extend the problem. (MKR)