Keep a math journal

My students are finally through the state’s math test, and I think I’m just as grateful as they are. I’ve spent the past two weeks helping them review formulas and processes. They’ve been so afraid of not being able to remember what they need at the right moment, and there’s only so much I can do at the last minute to help them.

In the middle of the testing, I found this article on creating a math journal, and I realized it would probably help a number of math students be more successful in their studying from a technical point of view.

Some math teachers have their students develop “toolkits” for their math class. The teachers provide a packet where the students fill in grid squares with the formulas and diagrams the teacher defines as important. Then the packet is dropped into a backpack, never to be seen again. (Yes, I’ve watched this one happen far too often.)

What if instead of packets for each class, students were encouraged to develop a math notebook to follow them through school? When they learn a new school, they write it into the notebook. They draw whatever pictures they need. They define the process in their own words. They write an example problem and its step-by-step process. If there is a theorem involved, the student should copy it verbatim, and then write it in their own words underneath.

Why would a math journal help students? First, as the article points out, it provides the student a chance to reflect on what they’ve learned, to put their learning into their own words. Second, if students were encouraged to use the same notebook throughout school (or change them only when the notebook is full), then when they encounter a forgotten skill, they can find it in the notebook and review it. It would also make reviewing for tests easier because everything would be in a simple-to-read format (if written correctly) in a concise space.

Perhaps I should start encouraging students to try out the math journal. I work mostly with high schoolers, but it could be very helpful for them.