Being able to communicate one’s understanding of any concept in math is imperative. It is also a big struggle currently in a secondary math classroom. Teenage learners have developed skills in avoiding work or more specifically failure. The groans and complaints can be heard down the hall from my class when I ask them to write anything more than a two or three-word response. I get the same response when I ask them to show their work. My team has made it our goal to get learners to write about their learning.
Throughout a unit of study, we have mastery checks. In the last part of these mastery checks, there are two reflection prompts for the student to answer. Only a sentence response is necessary, but it is writing about their own understanding of a particular concept. Could I shift this to a more individualized approach like a blog or vlog?
The value of being able to write about learning in any subject seems to be a foreign concept in our classes outside of ELAR. In my 13 years in education, I have seen the shift educators are trying to make by writing across content areas. Maybe the answer to my learners’ avoidance of anything writing-related in math should be a video response. Tamez-Robledo (2022) suggests that Tik Tok and Instagram gaining in popularity as teens’ preferred search engines, with Google losing ground. Allowing students to choose how they communicate their learning will result in more student engagement and motivation. This will also lead to connections and a deeper understanding of concepts many find difficult.
With my own creation of an ePortfolio, I can be an example for my learners to emulate. Being a math teacher, I found it hard to convince my students that being able to write about a math concept is truly understanding. I need to demonstrate that writing about one’s learning is important no matter the subject. I will embrace this opportunity to walk the walk and talk the talk for the benefit of my learners.
We are living in a new era of literacy, one in which participation is key – participation in:
RANDY BOMER & MICHELLE FOWLER
A digital culture
A democracy
A global conversation
What this participation mostly entails is writing.
References
12 Quotes About Writing from the Experts Teachers Love. (2019, August 26). Shaelynn Farnsworth. Retrieved October 2, 2022, from https://shaelynnfarnsworth.com/2019/08/26/12-quotes-about-writing-from-the-experts-teachers-love/
Tamez-Robledo, N. (2022, September 14). Teens Now Turn to TikTok More Than Google — But Not for Schoolwork. EdSurge. Retrieved September 25, 2022, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2022-09-14-teens-now-turn-to-tiktok-more-than-google-but-not-for-schoolwork
Valary's Vision of a Modern Secondary Mathematics Classroom 