The Missouri Reader Vol. 37, Issue 1 | Page 9

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF USING WRITING
STRATEGIES IN PRE-ALGEBRA
Stephanie Reid
hile many current educational theories
support the use of cross-curricular writing strategies
to help students process information and actively
construct knowledge, such strategies seem to be much
less commonly used in mathematics classes. After
studying the existing research in an attempt to
improve my personal teaching techniques—and
ultimately my students‘ success (based on student
engagement, concept retention, and…let‘s face
it…most importantly, test results)—I decided to give
my students a voice in the matter. The following is a
synopsis of a study I conducted with my middle school
(6-8th grade) pre-algebra students to determine their
perceptions of several common writing strategies that
are not as commonly used in mathematics classes.
The study involved administering to my students a
survey containing statements regarding the perceived
effectiveness of several writing strategies used during
certain units throughout the year, as compared to
comparable units without the implementation of the
writing strategies, on which students would rate their
level of agreement. The primary purpose of the study
was to better inform my instructional decisionmaking; yet, the conclusions drawn could have
further cross-curricular implications.
Theories based on the constructivist approach to
teaching maintain that knowledge is actively
constructed by students, rather than passively
received (Steffe & Gale, 1995). While writing
strategies have been shown to be effective in helping
students construct knowledge across content areas
primarily involving reading, many objectives of these
strategies align with the objectives of mathematics
curricula as well. Certain writing strategies can be
used to supplement traditional mathematics curricula
in order to actively involve students in the thinking
process involved in higher-order mathematics skills.
While most traditional mathematics instruction is
based on the view that students passively absorb
mathematical ideas and concepts presented by an
authoritative teacher in the form of facts and figures
(Clements & Battista, 1990), constructivists maintain

that people
construct meaning
about concepts by
reflecting on
experiences and
acknowledging the
learner‘s active role
in the creation of
knowledge (Steffe &
Gale, 1995). The
focus is often on the
process of learning,
rather than a final
product. One of the major goals for mathematics
instruction within a constructivist classroom is not
simply completing tasks, but rather ―making sense of,
and communicating about, them‖ (Clements &
Battista, 1990, p. 35).
Stephanie Reid teaches kindergarten
at Greenwood Laboratory School, a
laboratory school of Missouri State
University, in Springfield, MO. She
received her bachelor’s degree in
Elementary Education from the
University of Mississippi and her
master’s degree in Literacy with
special reading certification from
Missouri State University.
Fundamental principles of constructivism as it
relates specifically to mathematics instruction include
fostering problem-solving skills within meaningful,
real-world context, developing students‘ abilities to
reason, and encouraging students to communicate
their ideas regarding mathematics concepts through
clarifying, refining, and consolidating their thinking
(Nesmith, 2008). In addition, learning takes place
when students are able to relate new concepts to
existing knowledge, students are better able to
©The Missouri Reader, 37 (1) p.9