Writing about Math Boosts Students’ Understanding

Benefits of Inviting Students to Write in Math Class

Writing about math boosts learners’ understanding from the earliest grades on up. Let’s look at the research findings, specific benefits of having students write about math, and some easy ways to incorporate writing into your math class.

How does Writing about Math Improve Students’ Comprehension?

Students who take the time to write down their ideas, explain how to solve problems step by step, or record their thinking about big questions in math, are able to reflect on how they make sense of mathematical skills and concepts. Writing literally helps students assign words to the logical ideas expressed in math. It builds critical thinking skills and gives students time to organize and processing their thoughts. Writing helps make academic problems more concrete and accessible. It supports learners’ logical reasoning and provides them with additional experience in using academic vocabulary when communicating big ideas.

Additional Benefits of Writing in Math Class

Writing in math also provides students more opportunities to document their grasp on the content they are learning. It gives us teachers more information about how well students process information, skills, and ideas. Sharing written ideas provides students with another avenue of communication with peers, with built in thinking time and response time. Writing gives learners another way to interact with mathematical ideas and another reason to express their ideas in written form. Plus, all of this writing about math helps simplify word problems. Students with experience writing about math will have an edge when it comes to making sense of what is being asked in story problems.

Simple Activities that Bring Writing into Math Class:

• Require your students to answer word problems with a whole sentence. This is an easy way to benefit students’ understanding when it comes to word problems, and get your students familiar with writing about math.
  

  Example from Flower Florist Story Problems: a set of word problems that share the same floral setting.

• Have students write their own word problems – including the answer key.
• Adapt discussion questions to create writing prompts. Then give students a set amount of time to jot down their ideas.
  

  Example from Are Your Students Ready for Mixed Numbers?

• Give students a dedicated math journal in which to write. This sets up the expectation that they will be writing about math throughout the year and gives them a place to keep their thoughts and ideas.
• Use resources and materials that come with built in space for writing.
  

  Example from Colorful Collections: A Mindful Exploration of Proper Fractions. Available free when you sign up to receive Wednesday emails from UnCommon-Core.com.

Links to More Writing Activities:

• Why Should Students Write in Math Class, ascd. Describes four different purposes for writing in math class and shares examples of student work for each.
• Three Ways to Get Students to Write about Math, Edutopia. Describes three different strategies that can be used with students in order to teach them how to write about math.
• Deepen Mathematical Understanding Through Writing, Math Activities Club. Gives many examples of activities teachers can use to keep students interested in writing about math.
• Ten ways to Get Students Writing in Math, Teaching with Jennifer Findley. These ideas are great ways to support learners who might hesitate to write about math.
• Integrating Writing and Mathematics, Reading Rockets. Shares specific techniques as well as copies of student work.
• Using Writing to Improve Math Learning, by Vicki Urquhart on AMLE.  This article includes writing prompts and a rubric to help students write more effectively.
• 4 ways to engage students with writing in math class, nwea. Discusses how to support and scaffold students as they write about math. Describes how to help students get the most out of writing about math.

Scholarly articles about benefits of writing in math class:

• Kaur, Tandeep and Prendergast, Mark, Students’ Perceptions of Mathematics Writing and its Impact on their Enjoyment and Self-Confidence, Teaching Mathematics and its Applications; an International Journal of the IMA, Volume 41, Issue 1, March 2022
• Bicer, Ali, Perihan, Celal, Lee Yujin, The Impact of Writing Practices on Students’ Mathematical Attainment, International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education , 2018 Vol. 13, No. 3, pages 305-313 https://www.iejme.com/article/the-impact-of-writing-practices-on-students-mathematical-attainment-3922
• Dempsey, Kathleen, Kuhn, Matt, Marindill, Heather, Using Writing in Mathmatics to Deepen Student Learning , Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning www.mcrel.org.