ERIC Number: EJ1043949
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Nov
Pages: 8
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1072-0839
EISSN: N/A
Enhancing Students' Written Mathematical Arguments
Lepak, Jerilynn
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, v20 n4 p212-219 Nov 2014
Writing in mathematics is complex. The purpose of this article is to share how one teacher, Ms. Hill, used peer-review activities involving rubrics to explicitly communicate mathematical resources that students could draw from when justifying a claim. She found that helping students understand which type of statements could be used in justification required consistent feedback and ongoing practice. The need for this consistent feedback and practice was especially true for the students described in this article. This case study was conducted in the lowest- tracked eighth-grade algebra class, and most of the students struggled mathematically. However, through peer-review activities, students learned to take an active role in evaluating both their peers' and their own arguments using a rubric, or assessment tool, that listed the criteria for a task.
Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Secondary School Mathematics, Middle School Students, Content Area Writing, Feedback (Response), Case Studies, Grade 8, Algebra, Peer Evaluation, Student Role, Evaluation Methods, Scoring Rubrics, Persuasive Discourse, Mathematical Logic
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191-1502. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-3702; Fax: 703-476-2970; e-mail: orders@nctm.org; Web site: http://www.nctm.org/publications/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education; Middle Schools; Junior High Schools; Grade 8; Elementary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A