WR-ATH: WRiting in mATH

The wrath of math. What does this even mean!? Through my academic life which has always included mathematics, there have been numerous times in which I become extremely angry and frustrated with the math that sits in front of me. As I reminisce through those times it is evident that the problems that I had was this: I could not communicate appropriately the math that I was performing or take what I was thinking and communicate it with words to others verbally or on paper. I have taken upon myself to observe and volunteer within multiple middle school classrooms throughout the past year. The concern that has arose on multiple occasions was that the student was not able to communicate the math to me whether it be the answer to the question or where they were experiencing the most trouble. Thus, it made me consider bringing writing into mathematics in a more concrete level. By learning how to write in mathematics from an early age, students will be able to communicate more complicated math with efficiency and ease. 

You see it all over. Communication. Math. What is one of the way's in which communication can be used with mathematics? Writing. As I have progressed through my education in mathematics, the more writing I have had to accomplish. However, when I talk with my peers that are not in the field of mathematics or mathematics education, it is strange that I still write in math. When I consider the strangeness, it makes me think back to my math education classes in middle and high school. I would say that I had a small amount of instruction regarding the writing of mathematics. This is where I think we are falling short within the teaching of mathematics. Observations have proven that teachers expect multiple steps from students to show their understanding. However, what about the justification of the steps? This goes into the instrumental versus relational debate. 

INSTRUMENTAL VERSUS RELATIONAL

What does this have to do with the instrumental versus relational argument? What I consider as relational is more than just applying rules without reason. Although students are showing steps, is that justification for why they are performing these steps? This, in my eyes, is instrumental understanding. The student is still showing work but their justification as why they are choosing the certain operations is not given. By bringing in the skill of writing, the justification is solidified. Also, if writing is applied with the steps that the student takes, a teacher can see where the student is making mistakes if and when they are. Thus, the teacher is able to spend more time in certain areas depending on the students answers and justifications for performing the operations in which they have chosen to do so. 

Considering the new Common Core Standards entering the education system within the state of Michigan, we see that students need to have a more complete understanding of the material and concepts that are covered within each grade level. By bringing writing into the curriculum, I believe that the work done by the students will improve ten-fold. This will then give teachers insight to the students mind and how they are working with the problems at hand. Also, verbal communication has been on the rise, but transcribing this material has many beneficial aspects as well. This transcription provides evidence for the progress in which each student makes throughout the course of the year. By starting at an early age such as middle school, we are able to pass on the materials to future teachers so that they are able to grasp a better understanding of the standing of each student within mathematics. This also paves a path for the individual students so that they are able to communicate at a higher level as they progress through their mathematical career into high school and higher education.