Journal Writing: Taking Math Instruction to the Next Level

Abstract

In the last two decades literacy has been the focus across all content areas, including mathematics, allowing students to demonstrate their thinking processes and understanding. The purpose of this qualitative study was to discover if journal writing in math improves middle school students' ability to gain a greater understanding of the processes involved in mathematical reasoning. Students in an eighth grade math class in a suburban middle school in Western New York completed journal entries at the start of a new unit to discern knowledge of the topic. The conclusions imply that journal writing aids in student mathematical learning. Math journals not only help instructors in understanding students' feelings, but also help students demonstrate their mathematical thinking processes and understanding.