Mathematical Literacy:

Journal Writing to Learn Problem Solving

Loretta Ohnemus
Omaha, Nebraska




Math in the Middle Institute Partnership
Action Research Project Report




in partial fulfillment of the MAT Degree
Department of Mathematics
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
J uly 2010

Mathematical Literacy:
Journal Writing to Learn Problem Solving


Abstract

In this action research study of my classroom of eighth grade pre-algebra students, I
investigated the impact of using journaling during problem solving to increase the students
mathematical reasoning and development. I discovered that journaling allowed the students a
quiet time to carefully think through the problem-solving process. J ournaling increased the
students use of multiple strategies and strengthened their ability to communicate
mathematically. I noticed students were more willing to engage in problem solving and actually
looked forward to journaling time. I discovered that students problem-solving abilities increased
with continued use of journaling. I also discovered that one or two well-planned authentic word
problems, where many methods could be applied to solve them, were a better use of classroom
time than several practice homework problems. I discovered that my students became better
communicators and better problem solvers. As a result of this research, I plan to implement
journaling into future classes.















Introduction
The topic of my inquiry is journal writing during problem solving. I selected this topic
because while most of my students are able to reproduce the algorithms taught during math class,
they are unable to apply those same processes to problem solving. They are also not able to apply
their mathematical skills to problems presented outside of the mathematics classroom. I saw a
need to involve my students in authentic problem solving. This goal would help them to become
better problem solvers, deepen their mathematical understanding and increase their mathematical
literacy.
Currently, Omaha Public Schools requires eighth grade pre-algebra students to take
several different district assessments on various topics. Only one of those eight assessments
includes any form of problem solving, and the answers on the Word Problem assessment are
all multiple choice and limited to one method to solve. To supplement the district assessments
and to increase my students ability to communicate mathematically, I began introducing my
students to authentic problem solving.
My students struggled with this addition. The students were not engaged in the problem-
solving activities and many just decided to wait for another student or the teacher to give them
the answer. They said the problems were too hard, and they would take too long to answer. This
is when I realized that my students were so conditioned to answering a multiple choice question
in just a few seconds that any problem which involved multiple steps and took time to answer
was beyond their abilities.
Problem solving was a necessary and worthwhile task for my students, and I needed to
find a way to involve all of the students. I also wanted my students to be responsible for their
own learning, and I felt my students needed time internalize, connect and apply the mathematics
they had learned to relevant problems. Because of the need to become better problem solvers and
the need to learn how to communicate mathematically, I chose journaling during problem
solving as my action research topic.
Problem Statement

My students do not own the mathematics they are taught. They can take a test on
Friday and pass it, but by Monday everything they have learned is forgotten. As I have come to
reflect on this problem, I have determined the students are memorizing the mathematical
algorithms for a short time, reproducing them on a district assessment, and then forgetting the
mathematical knowledge. The students do not retain the information, and they are not able to
apply the mathematics they just learned to problem solving.
The usual pattern is to review with the students everything that is on the test for the first
half of the block and then give the students the test. In other words, the students are just playing
math, but not learning mathematics and problem-solving strategies. To really learn math a
student must take the time to internalize the information, make connections to previous
knowledge and be able to apply the information to other contexts and situations outside of the
mathematics classroom. Students need to be actively involved in their own learning.
The NCTM Principle of Learning states students must learn with understanding, actively
building new knowledge from experience and prior knowledge. My students do not understand
what they are learning and instead of building new connections, they try to memorize the new
material for a short period of time. My issue of teaching also involves two of the NCTM Process
Standards: Problem solving and Communication. My students are unable to build new
mathematical knowledge through problem solving; they do not apply the appropriate strategies to
solve problems. My students also lack the ability to communicate their mathematical thinking to
themselves or to others. Without mastery of these process standards, applying mathematics
outside of the classroom is beyond their abilities.
Literature Review
I examined current research for the following themes problem-solving strategies,
communication as a part of mathematical reasoning, and journal writing to learn mathematics.
These themes were found in a variety of literature centered on middle school and high school
students mathematical reasoning and development. Much of the research cited in this article
illustrates the connections between language and mathematics.
Problem Solving and Attitudes
Problem solving is an essential part of mathematics, yet many students spend much of
their mathematics career copying and reproducing algorithms. According to Shulman and
Armitage (2005), many students lack the ability, interest, and motivation to solve authentic and
involved problems. Their case study described Project Discovery, a five-year program to
improve urban middle-level student achievement by focusing on the professional development of
middle level school teachers (Shulman, 2005, p. 372). The project was located at the Discovery
Institute, a grant-funded professional-development organization housed in a public New Your
City college. The efforts of the project focused primarily on helping teachers work together to
improve their teaching in order to improve student achievement. The teachers were given
opportunities to be learners using active inquiry-orientated approaches. The hope was the
teachers would transfer this style of learning to their classrooms, creating student-centered,
motivating and vibrant learning opportunities. The overall goal of the teachers professional
development program was student outcomes (Shulman, 2005, p. 381).
J ohanning (2008) found that when students learn to use fractions in other contexts, they
have the opportunity to develop a richer understanding of fractions. J ohanning studied 23 sixth-
grade and seventh-grade students as they were engaged in using fractions in the context of area
and perimeter, decimal operations, similarity, and ratios and proportions. Her research question
focused on the distinction between learning about something and learning to use that knowledge
in new settings. J ohanning showed that what students learn when directly studying fraction
content is different from what they learn when they have to use fractions as part of learning
about other content (p. 304). She also found that as students looked for and used connections
they came to view mathematics as a collection of connected usable ideas rather than a set of
arbitrary rules.
Tienken and Maher (2008) stated, In education, one desired end is to help develop
students who can think critically and solve authentic problems (p. 12). Tienken and Maher
studied a middle school in New J ersey that implemented computer assisted instruction (CAI) in
drill and practice computation related to eighth grade mathematics curriculum standards. The
middle school consisted of 895 seventh and eighth students of which 34 percent were eligible for
the federal free or reduced lunch program. The mathematics Web sites used for the CAI provided
students opportunities for drill and practice of computation in operations, fractions, geometry,
data analysis and algebra. However, Tienken and Mahers findings showed the CAI drill and
practice program was not an effective intervention for increasing mathematics achievement.
Through the findings of their research, Tienken and Maher suggested middle level leaders should
consider replacing ineffective drill and practice basic skills programs and begin to incorporate
problem-based instruction or other types of active learning into their programs. This study
provides further evidence that CAI drill and practice activities, void of problem solving, will not
help students achieve that end (p. 12).
Cleary and Chen (2009) studied general trends in motivation and self-regulation relative
to math achievement in a sample of 880 suburban middle level students. Cleary and Chens
findings were consistent with the motivational literature showing that making academic tasks
more interesting is a key component in enhancing students behavioral and cognitive
engagement. However, perceiving learning to be interesting or valuable appears to be related to
students tendency to become strategically engaged in that activity (p. 309). They suggested that
strong efforts to make learning intrinsically interesting or enjoyable for students should be an
important focus of middle school teachers and administrators.
The above research, focused on middle level students, had essentially the same findings;
learning should be student centered, enjoyable and interesting. Students also must be motivated
to learn through engaging activities that include problem solving. Shulman and Armitage (2005)
as well as Cleary and Chen (2009) agreed that students need to be engaged in motivating and
interesting academic tasks. As shown by J ohanning (2008) simply learning a mathematical skill
is not enough. Students need to be able to apply their mathematical knowledge to other content
areas. Tienken and Maher (2008) also found that drill and practice, without problem solving, will
not increase mathematics achievement.
Communication in Mathematics
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recognizes the importance of
communication in mathematics by listing communication as one of the five process standards in
the Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (NCTM, 2000, p. 63). The communication
standard for preK-12 stresses that mathematics instructional programs should enable students to:
Organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication.
Communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and
others.
Analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and strategies of others.
Use the language of mathematics to express mathematical ideas precisely.
Pugalee (2001) stated, When students are given the opportunity to communicate about
mathematics, they engage thinking skills and processes that are critical in developing
mathematical literacy (p. 296). Pugalee agreed with the NCTM standard on communication and
stated, Communication should be a fundamental component in implementing a balanced and
effective mathematics program (p. 297). Pugalee wrote about sixth- through eighth-grade
students who were asked to describe their processes for finding the dimensions of a pool having
a perimeter of 18 and an area of 18 square meters. The students applied many different methods
to solve the problem and then explained their processes. An oral dialog extended the written
work as the students rated and discussed their peers solutions. Using communication, students
extended their use of the language of mathematics (p. 299).
Communication is the heart of the classroom experiences which stimulate learning
(Clarke, 1993, p.235). Clarke examined one mode of mathematical communication, journal
writing in mathematics. The study was conducted in a seventh- through 12
th
-grade Catholic girls
school with an enrollment of approximately 500 students. The students were of mixed race and
were from working and middle-class families from across the city. Clark describes three
categories used to classify students mathematical journal writing. These three categories,
Recount, Summary and Dialogue, were used to categorize questionnaire responses. The
categories showed a marked consistency with the way students communicated what they had
learned and how they had gone about it. The integrated development of communication skills
and mathematical thinking was central to the aims of the schools program (p. 249).
The NCTM recognized the importance of communication in mathematics by making it
one of their five process standards. While Pugalee (2001) wrote about mathematics
communication in general and Clarke (1993) studied journal writing as a form of communication
in mathematics, both agree with the NCTM that communication is a necessary component of a
mathematics curriculum.
Journal Writing to Learn Mathematics
Attention to language is an important component in developing students conceptual
understanding of mathematics (Lim & Pugalee, 2004, p.1). Lim and Pugalee explored the role
of journal writing in helping 10
th
grade students learn mathematics and strengthen their
communication skills. Lim and Pugalee found writing helps students focus and extend their
thinking by building mathematical understanding. Lim and Pugalee found that as students write,
they reflect and analyze and the authors also noticed the connection between writing and
understanding mathematics was evident in their students work. Writing in mathematics
engages students as they manipulate, integrate, and restructure knowledge through using and
reflecting on prior knowledge, concepts, and beliefs (p. 2).
Clarke (1993) believes journal writing was intended to assist students to see themselves
as active agents in the construction of their mathematical knowledge. Clarkes research suggests
that through the process of journal writing, students increasingly interpret mathematics in
personal terms thus enabling them to construct meanings and connections. The key to journal
writing appears to be to encourage students to question themselves when they do not understand
rather than be dependent upon their teacher to tell them whether they understand. This requires
an internalization of authority, responsibility and control. The journal writing program reiterates
to students the link between communication and learning (p. 248).
Moskal and Magone (2000) agree with the above authors by stating that written tasks
requiring an explanation offer the classroom teacher detailed information concerning the
students knowledge. Moskal and Magone studied students written responses to a decimal task
that required an explanation. Their study focused on a framework for interpreting these responses
and found that well-designed tasks can provide rich accounts of their students mathematical
reasoning.
Lim and Pugalee (2004), Clarke (1993), Moskal and Magone (2000) all agreed that
journal writing as a part of the mathematics curriculum encouraged a deeper understanding of
mathematics and enabled students to construct meanings, make connections, and to take
ownership of their own learning.
Shulman and Armitage (2005) believed teachers needed to create student-orientated
classrooms and focus on problem solving. Tienken and Maher (2008) clearly stated that problem
solving must be added to the standard drill and practice lessons. J ohanning (2008) wanted
students to apply their mathematical skills for a deeper understanding. My students used their
mathematical skills as they were engaged in problem solving. My purpose was to increase my
students problem-solving skills and to develop their mathematical reasoning.
Lim and Pugalee (2004) had students write in journals for 10 minutes at the end of
several class periods each week. Most of the journal entries answered the journal prompt
Describe, step by step to a given problem. Clarke (1993) studied the journal responses of
students who wrote in their journals every day reflecting on the daily lesson, the mathematics
they were struggling with, or any questions they had about mathematics class. Both researchers
felt journal writing during mathematics class increased students communication skills and
mathematical understanding. The journal writing in my study was somewhat different. My
students wrote in their journals as they were problem solving. They were immersed in solving
problems that required them to communicate their mathematical knowledge through journal
writing.
Purpose Statement

As the review of the literature has shown many middle schools and high schools are
enhancing their mathematics curriculum with problem-solving activities in an effort to increase
the students mathematical reasoning. I am also concerned with developing my students
mathematical reasoning. Therefore, the purpose of my study is to determine what impact
journaling during problem solving will have on my students mathematical reasoning and
development. I wanted to determine the role journaling would play in helping students become
better problem solvers and better communicators. I also wanted to find a way to actively involve
my pre-algebra students in their own learning. In particular, I wanted to determine the role of
writing in helping students learn mathematics at any level. My research questions are:
What happens to my teaching when I focus on student reasoning through written
problem-solving journals?
What happens to the level of student mathematical reasoning when they are asked to
write in problem-solving journals?
Methods

The subjects of my study are the eighth grade students in my first block pre-algebra class.
These students are from an urban, multicultural middle school located in the Midwest. The class
consists of 10 girls and nine boys of various mathematical abilities; however, there are no
students in the class who qualify for Special Education. I selected my first block pre-algebra
students for the project because while they are good with memorizing and applying mathematical
algorithms, they lack the skills to think or reason out how to solve a problem.
On J anuary 25, 2010, students were given the supplies to create their own journals. Each
student received two pieces of white construction paper for the front and the back cover of the
journal, 30 pieces of notebook paper, a journaling guide sheet (see Appendix A), and connectors
to bind the pages together. The action research project was explained to the students and the
consent forms were handed out while the students decorated their journals.
On Friday, J anuary 27, the students were given their first problem to write about and
solve in their journals. All of the journaling problems are presented in Appendix B. From
J anuary 27 through March 5 and again from April 5 through April 15 the students were engaged
in journaling at least once per week and sometimes twice per week as weather and schedules
permitted.
On journaling days, the students were instructed to put their things away and to get their
journals from the back counter of the classroom. The problem to solve was either projected on
the Smartboard or the students were instructed to turn to the appropriate page in their textbooks.
The room fell quiet as the students began to work.
While the students were writing in their journals, I used this time to write in my teacher
journal. I first wrote the date, the number of consent forms returned, the number of absent
students and days journal problem. I then walked around the room observing the students
activity and took notes on their behavior and journaling habits. In particular, I recorded their
comments about solving the problem. I also noted in my teacher journal anything that prevented
the students from journaling on planned journaling days.
The data for my research project was collected in three forms: student journals, student
interviews and my teacher journal. Each journal entry included the students interpretation of the
given problem and their solution to the problem. The journals also contained an analysis of how
they solved the problem and explanation of why they thought their solution was correct or
incorrect. Lastly, the journal entry included a rating of the students perception of the difficulty
of the problem. On April 13, April 14 and April 15, three students were interviewed. They each
were asked a series of questions about the journaling process in exactly the same order (see
Appendix C). The interviews were recorded and notes were taken.
The journal data were organized by date and by journal problem. If a student was absent
on journaling day, his or her journal would reflect a gap in the dates. Each students journal was
reviewed for completeness and the rating of the difficulty of the problem. During this review
four journals were pulled from the data for the following reasons. First, one student did not rate
any of the problems and the journal was missing more than half of the entries. Second, two
students simply solved the problem, but did not respond in writing to any of the journal prompts
and the last journal to be excluded was a student who transferred into my first block late in the
journaling process.
The first data to be collected was the difficulty rating of each problem by each student,
and the median score was calculated. The median scores are listed in Appendix D. The data
were then analyzed one journal at time. The journals were given a number starting with number
1. As I read each journal entry, I recorded interesting methods used by the students to solve the
problems and comments about solving the problems by the journal number and the date of the
entry. I continued this procedure for all 15 journals. After the journals were reviewed, the three
student interviews were compared on a question-by-question basis. The students answers were
typed and used as part of the findings.
Even though journaling time had been built into my pre-algebra lesson plans, actually
carrying out those plans and having the students journal was harder than I thought it would be. I
saw my first block pre-algebra class every other day, and my goal was to have the students
journal each time we met. However, this year the weather was a major obstacle to starting the
day on time. The first block attendance was often held 20 to 30 minutes while we waited on
several late buses to arrive, thus delaying the start of the class. Along with the weather, my pre-
algebra students needed ample time to prepare for their district assessments and then more time
for re-teaching and retaking the tests. These aforementioned circumstances, along with numerous
filed trips, caused me to skip many planned journaling days.
Data collection and journaling suffered another major setback when an unexpected injury
kept me home from school for a four-week period. Between March 5 and April 5, journaling and
data collection were stopped due to my absence. However, the time devoted to solving problems
continued as I persisted in writing this process into my lesson plans for the substitute teacher.
Upon my return, the journaling and data collection resumed. My first block pre-algebra students
wrote in their journals two times per week from April 5 until April 15 and some of my best data
came from this time period.
Findings
My action research topic was journaling during problem solving. The idea was to engage
students in problem solving by having the students write in journals about how to solve the
problems, or what prevents them from solving a problem. In order to incorporate this study into
my first block pre-algebra class I needed to reorganize the day to ensure time was set aside for
journaling. A typical journaling day had the following sequence: bell work, taking care of the
current homework, teaching a new lesson or reviewing a previous lesson, journaling time, study
time, and an exit slip.
J ournaling time took careful planning because I found the students needed at least 20
minutes or more to complete the process. I felt very strongly that no student would be rushed
while solving the journal problems or writing about their solutions. To accommodate the
necessary time for journaling, I integrated journal writing into all my pre-algebra classes, though
I only used my first block class for the research. The pre-algebra lesson plans were then prepared
with 20 minutes devoted to solving a problem and journaling about it. This change allowed me to
plan for more journaling time during my first block pre-algebra class.
During action research a typical day in pre-algebra started when the students entered the
room. They picked up a one-half sheet of paper and completed the bell work displayed on the
Smartboard. The students were also to write the next days assignment in their planner and to
take out the current days homework. During this time I took attendance, handed supplies to any
students who needed something, and answered any number of questions about the days
activities. After attendance I circled the room, checking for bell work completion and finished
homework. The bell work was corrected and set aside for later use during the exit slip.
Next, the homework was discussed and usually corrected and handed in, though
sometimes the students required another day to complete the homework or to rework missed
problems. Since our block classes are 86 minutes in length, and it was early in the morning, at
this point I usually gave the students a short break. After the break, the new or review lesson was
presented and students either took notes or were engaged in activities covering the material.
Now, with any luck, there would be at least a half-hour remaining in the class to allow for
journaling. However, this was also the perfect time to administer one of the district assessments;
therefore, journaling had to be postponed on some of these days.
On journaling days the students were instructed to put their things away, get their
journals form the back counter, and return to their seats. The days journal problem was
displayed on the Smartboard and room fell quiet as the students began the journaling task. The
students followed their journaling guide. They first read the problem and answered question
number one, What is todays problem asking you to find? Next, the students were to solve the
problem with any method they chose. After solving the problem they were to answer question
number two, How did you go about solving todays problem? When question number two was
completed by all the students, we had a class discussion on how to solve the problem and the
correct answer was given. The students were then to answer either question number three, If
your answer was correct, why was the answer correct? or question number four, If your answer
was incorrect, what went wrong when solving the problem? After answering either question
number three or four the students went on to question number five, What did you learn from
todays problem? The journaling session ended with question number six, Please rate the
difficulty of this problem from 1-5 (1 for very easy, 5 for very hard). The students completed
the process and placed their journals on the back counter.
After careful analysis of the data several results were revealed. The presentations of the
results are divided into two categories, those results that pertain to my teaching, and those results
that apply to my students.
One of my research questions was, what happens to my teaching when I focus on
student reasoning through written problem-solving journals? I changed my teaching by making
time for journaling. I changed my teaching by giving the students time to think and to write
about solving math problems. In my lesson on February 2, 2010, as documented in my teacher
journal, I gave the students a series of three math problems to journal about, starting with a very
easy problem, and ending with a more involved problem. The change I made was to give the
students ample time to think, work and write about solving problems. My February 10, 2010,
teacher journal entry again demonstrates the time required for students to journal, it states,
Note: journaling takes a long time.
The focus of my teaching has shifted from working several examples to focusing on one
or two word problems that cover the material from the lesson. I changed my thinking on what is
important in the classroom, and I incorporated journal writing into my other pre-algebra classes.
As stated in my J anuary 29 teacher journal, students need to be able to put their thoughts in
writing: Students do not know what to do. They are complaining that they dont get it. They
struggle with solving word problems and when asked to put these thoughts into writing it
becomes apparent that the students did not know how to communicate their thoughts, which
implies that they do not completely understand the material.
Axels J anuary 29 journal entry was another piece of evidence that furthered the shift in
my teaching to focus on mathematical reasoning (See exhibit 1). He correctly stated what the
problem was asking him to find, and came up with an answer that was computed correctly, but
did not answer the question. Axel is one of my higher level students, but his first journal entry
caused me to really think about what I am teaching the students. Like Axel, most of my first
block students know their basic mathematical facts, but they dont apply any reasoning to their
problem solving. While my students easily memorized and reproduced algorithms, they truly do
not understand the applications of the mathematical concepts.

Exhibit 1 Axels 1/29/10 journal entry

In my February 20 teacher journal entry I stated, Students do well journaling at first by
answering journal questions one and two and solving the problem, then we go over the problem
and they dont want to write any more. This journal entry also shifted my teaching to focus
more on the process or methods used to solve a problem and not just the answer. Once the
answer was known my students tended to see no purpose in analyzing the correctness or
incorrectness of their problem-solving methods.
My second research question was: what happens to the level of students mathematical
reasoning when they are asked to write in problem-solving journals? My action research overall
yielded positive findings for this research question.
First, students found journaling to be a beneficial way to learn problem solving. During
Axels April 14 interview I asked him to reply to question number 11, Did journaling help you
with solving story problems? In response he stated, Yes, it helps us because we can work out
our problems in the journals. I also observed on many journaling days that my students were no
longer questioning what to do or how to solve the problem. They just started to work and did
their best to reason out how to solve the problem. My April 7 teacher journal entry demonstrates
this point and stated, Nobody said I dont get it, they just started right away and solved the
problem with no effort. This ability to learn problem solving through journaling is illustrated in
Daisys April 13 entry. She is a slightly above average student, who often scores well on tests,
but requires several examples and a thorough explanation. In this journal entry Daisy solves a
multistep fraction problem with little difficulty (see Exhibit 2). Like Daisy, most of my students
rated this problem as fairly easy by giving it a median score of 2.













Exhibit 2 Daisys 4/13/10 journal entry

My results showed that students lost their fear of word problems through journaling. On
J anuary 29, I gave the students their first word problem to solve in their journals and the
feedback I received was very typical. In my teacher journal I wrote The students dont know
what to do. They are complaining that they dont get it. I also wrote, Many students do not
want to write, they just keep saying I dont get it. However, in my March 1 methods notebook I
wrote, their journal writing has helped their confidence and they are starting a problem and
trying several methods to work on the problem.
Axel, Bibianna and Daisy all replied in their student interviews that now they kind of
enjoy solving word problems. I asked all three students question number eight from the
interviews, Has your attitude about working word problems changed during your eighth grade
year? and they all replied with a positive statement. Axel said, Yes, at the beginning I didnt
like word problems, but now I do. Bibianna said, Yes, I used to hate them when I was
younger. Daisy replied, J ournaling has made them easier.
The work in the journals also shows the students willingness to try new and different
methods to solve problems. On J anuary 23, the students were given the following problem to
solve: Matt made 15 shots. He scored 34 points. How many 2-point and 3-point shots did he
make? The following exhibits show three different solutions to this problem taken from three
different student journals. The students correctly answered the same question with completely
different methods. Exhibit 3 is from Noels February 23 journal entry, and he used an unusual
table to solve the problem. No other student used a table like Noels, and I had not considered a
table like his either. Noel is an average student who tends to work alone and prefers reading to
solving math problems.
Exhibit 4 is from J uans journal and he used a table to solve the problem. J uan is one of
my top students, and he is one of the few students in my first block who understands how to
apply the mathematical concepts to real-life problems. Exhibit 5 is from Antonios February 23
journal entry and he used guess and check to solve the problem. While guess and check is not a
new or different method, I chose this journal entry because it demonstrates my students
willingness to continue working on a problem until it is solved. Before journaling my students
would just sit and wait for someone to give them the correct answer.
Exhibit 3 Noels 2/23/10 journal entry



Exhibit 4 J uans 2/23/10 journal entry

Exhibit 5 Antonios 2/23/10 journal entry

Overall my students problem-solving abilities did improve through journaling.
J ournaling allowed a quiet time for students to think, and the students were not shouting out the
answers. In my March 1 methods notebook I wrote, The students are getting better at writing in
their journals. They seem to enjoy the quiet time to write and think quietly on their own. This
quiet time equalized the playing field, students who like to contemplate the problem, and work
slowly, had an opportunity to do so. J ournaling gave students ownership of their work and
allowed them to explore different methods to solve problems.
Conclusion
J ournaling is a great way to engage students in their own learning, Even though my
students are in the beginning stages of journal writing, the recount stage according to Clarke
(1993), they did benefit from this experience. J ournaling created a quiet time where my students
could think about their problem-solving strategies and apply their knowledge. Like Lim and
Pugalee (2004), through journaling my students took control of their own learning. J ournaling
helped the students to focus and extend their thinking. I found, as did Pugalee (2001), that
writing about and describing mathematical processes encourages students to reflect on their
thinking. Through journaling my students were learning to communicate mathematically.
Implications

This action research project has many positive implications for my future mathematics
classes. I found journaling when problem solving to be a productive use of the students time and
I plan to implement solving problems by journaling into my mathematics classes next year. I will
need to decide what to include in the students journals, just problem solving as in my project or
add daily journaling reflecting on what they have learned that day in class.
There are several things I would like to enhance or change as I journal with my students
in the future. I need to find a way to provide a journal for all students and a place to store them.
The journal problems need to be more closely related to the daily lessons if possible, and I need
to search out and find more authentic problems for the student to solve.
J ournaling did improve the students thought processes while solving problems, but the
students could have benefited even more by receiving feedback on a regular basis. By reviewing
the journals more frequently, I will have the opportunity to change my instruction based on the
students needs. I will also want to find a way to incorporate the journal entries into the
students assessment.























References

Clarke, D. J . (1993). Probing the structure of mathematical writing. Educational Studies in
Mathematics, 25(3), 235-50.

Cleary, T. J ., & Chen, P. P. (2009). Self-regulation, motivation, and math achievement in middle
school: variations across grade level and math context. Journal of School Psychology,
47(5), 291-314.

J ohanning, D. I. (2008). Learning to use fractions: examining middle school students emerging
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Appendix A

Student Personal Journal Prompts:

1) What is todays problem asking you to find?
2) How will you go about solving todays problem?
3) If your answer is correct, justify why the answer is correct.
4) If your answer is incorrect, what went wrong when solving the problem?
5) What did you learn from todays problem?
6) Please rate the difficulty of this problem; (1 for very easy, 5 for very hard)
1 2 3 4 5

Instructions:
Put the date at the top of the journal page and copy the complete problem.

Answer question #1 before you solve the problem

Solve the problem and then answer question #2

Answer question #3 or question #4 after the class discusses how to solve the problem.

Answer question #5

Rate the problem see question #6















Appendix B

1/29 Simon is covering a wall with equal-sized tiles that cant be cut into smaller pieces. The
area he wishes to cover is 66 in. high by 72 in. wide. What is the largest square tile that Simon
can use?

2/2 (1) Which is larger 11/25 or 45%? (2)In the United States one person in eight lives in
California. About what % of the people in the United States live in California? (3) J eanette
answered 32 questions correctly on a 45 question test. The passing grade was 70%. Did J eanette
pass? J ustify your answer.

2/10 Who has the best free throw percentage? Player A made 31 out of 36 free throws. Player
B made 15 out of 18, and Player C made 8 out of 9?

2/23 Matt made 15 shots. He scored 34 points. How many 2 point and 3 point shots did he
make?

3/1 You are going to the amusement park and it is $8.00 admission plus $3.00 each time you
ride the roller coaster. How much money do you need if you want to ride the roller coaster 2
times? Three times? Four times?

4/5 Your friend says -2 +6 =8. Is he correct or incorrect? Why or Why not?

4/7 A ticket to Paris costs $723. Maria has $2,050 to spend for all costs on her vacation. The
hotel costs $98 per night and she will stay for 7 nights. How much money will she have for
shopping and eating after she pays for the plane ticket and hotel bill?

4/9 You decide you want to get into shape for the summer so you join a gym. The gym
charges a one time membership fee of $50 plus a monthly charge of $25.00. How much does it
cost for 4 months? For 6 months? For 2 years? How much for any number of months? Write an
equation to model the cost of joining the gym for any number of months.

4/13 Louie, Erica, and Darrin built a 25 1/9 long train track using all their pieces. If Louie
gave 8 1/9 yards of train track and Darrin gave 7 1/3 yards of track, how much did Erica
contribute?

4/15 You buy 3 dozen bagels at the store. 2/3 of the bagels are for your classmates. of the
bagels are for your teachers. How many are for you. Express the amount of bagels that each
group gets in a fraction and a number.







Appendix C

Student Interview Questions:

1) What do you think about when your teacher asks questions during Math class?
2) What do you like best about Math? What do you like least about Math?
3) What makes math easy or difficult for you?
4) How successful do you feel about using Math skills in and out of class? Give an
example of how you use Math outside of class.
5) When working a word problem, do you think you know the meaning of most of the
vocabulary words in each problem? Please give some examples.
6) Why is it important to know the meanings of vocabulary words you see in math?
7) Did you enjoy working word problems before this school year? Why do you think
this was the case?
8) Has your attitude about working word problems changed during your 8
th
grade year?
9) I would like you to work on this problem, saying aloud whatever it is you are thinking
as you work through the problem. I especially want to hear you talk about how you
decide what to do to solve the problem.
Emma is saving money to buy a bike that costs $72. She wants to buy the bike
after saving the same amount of money each week for 6 weeks. How much
money does she need to save each week?
10) Is there anything else I should know about you to better understand your problem
solving skills in math or your general math experience?
11) Did journaling help you with solving story problems? Why?
12) Did you like journaling? Why?





















Appendix D

Date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 median
1/29 4 3 5 3 4 4 3 5 5 5 3 5 5 5 4 4
2/2 2 1 1 2 3 2 2 1 5 2 5 1 3 1 3 2
2/10 3 2 1 3 2 2 3 1 1 3 3 1 nr 1 nr 2
2/23 1 3 2 4 3 2 5 3 3 2 3 3 2 1 3 3
3/1 1 3 nr 2 2 3 3 1 nr nr 4 nr nr 1 nr 2
4/5 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 nr 1 nr nr 1 1
4/7 2 1 1 2 1 2 3 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1
4/9 4 4 nr 4 5 4 4 2 nr nr 5 1 2 1 4 4
4/13 1 3 2 2 2 4 2 2 1 2 3 2 2 1 4 2
4/15 4 4 2 nr 2 nr 2 3 nr 2 5 1 3 2 3 2.5


Note: nr indicates the student did not rate the problem.