Abstract
In this article we discuss the educational value of engaging mathematics students in a specific form of writing to learn—the keeping of a journal throughout a mathematics course. As the result of an analysis which comprises both conceptual and empirical components, we suggest that journals have the potential to contribute to mathematics instruction in several ways. As the students write the journals, they can be encouraged to express and reflect upon their feelings, knowledge, processes and beliefs about mathematics, and consequently grow along each of these dimensions. By reading their students' journals, teachers may receive a wealth of information about their students and the course, and consequently improve their teaching. Finally, journals can create a new form of dialogue between the teacher and each student, thus allowing for more individualized instruction and a supportive classroom atmosphere.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
BrunerJ. S.: 1986, Actual Minds, Possible Worlds, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
Buerk, D.: 1986, Carolyn Weber's Journal: Voicing the Struggle to Make Meaning of Mathematics, Paper accepted for the Working Paper Series, Wellesley College, Center for Research on Women, Wellesley, MA.
BurtonC. M.: 1985, ‘Writing as a way of knowing in a mathematics education class’, Arithmetic Teacher 33, 40–45.
Connell, J. P.: 1987, A Motivational Analysis of Student Engagment and Disaffection, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
EmigJ.: 1977, ‘Writing as a Mode of Learning’, College Composition and Communication 28, 122–7.
EisenhartM. A.: 1988, ‘The ethnographic research tradition and mathematics education research’, Journal for Research in Mathematics Education 19, 99–114.
FulwilerT.: 1982, ‘Writing: An act of cognition’, in C. W.Griffin (ed.), New Direction for Teaching and Learning: Teaching Writing in All Disciplines, pp. 15–26, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
FuwilerT.: 1982, ‘The personal connection: Journal writing across the curriculum’, in T.Fulwiler and A.Young (eds.), Language Connections: Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum, pp. 15–31, National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, ILL.
GlaserB. G. and StraussA. L.: 1967, The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research, Aldine Publishing Co., Hawthorne, NY.
Goodkin, V.: 1982, ‘The intellectual consequences of writing: Writing as a tool for learning’, Ph.D. dissertation, Rutgers University.
KnoblauchC. D. and BrannonL.: 1983, ‘Writing as learning through the curriculum’, College English 45, 465–74.
LincolnY. S. and GubaE. G.: 1985, Naturalistic Inquiry, Sage, Beverly Hills, CA.
MayherJ. S., LesterN. B. and PradlG. M.: 1983, Learning to Write/Writing to Learn, Boynton/Cook Publishers, Inc., Upper Montclair, NJ.
MettC. L.: 1987, ‘Writing as a learning device in calculus’, Mathematics Teacher 79, 461–65.
NahrgangC. and PetersenB. T.: 1986, ‘Using writing to learn’, Mathematics Teacher 79, 461–65.
Oaks, A.: 1987, ‘The effects of the interaction of conception of mathematics and affective constructs on college students in remedial mathematics’, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Rochester.
PowellA. B.: 1986, ‘Working with “underprepared” mathematics students’, in M.Driscoll and J.Confrey (eds.), Teaching Mathematics: Strategies that Work, Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH.
ProgoffI.: 1975, At a Journal Workshop, Dialogue House Library, NY.
RogersC.: 1969, Freedom to Learn, Merrill, Columbus, OH.
Rose, B.: 1988, ‘Using expressive writing to support the learning of mathematics’, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Rochester.
StempienM. and BorasiR.: 1985, “Students' writing in mathematics: Some ideas and experiences’, For the Learning of Mathematics 5, 14–17.
VygotskyL. S.: 1962, Thought and Language, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
VukovichD.: 1985, ‘Ideas in practice: Integrating math and writing through the math journal’, Journal of Developmental Education 9, 19–20.
WatsonM.: 1980, ‘Writing has a place in a mathematics class’, Mathematics Teacher 73, 518–20.
Yinger, R. J. and Clark, C.: 1981, Reflective Journal Writing; Theory and Practice (ERIC Document Reproduction Service ED 208 411).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Borasi, R., Rose, B.J. Journal writing and mathematics instruction. Educational Studies in Mathematics 20, 347–365 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00315606
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00315606