A Task Force on Conceptualizing Elementary Mathematical Writing: Implications for Mathematics Education Stakeholders

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

The Discovery Research K-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. Communicating about mathematical ideas by talking and writing is central to the teaching and learning of mathematics as it can help students learn concepts at a deeper level. More specifically, according to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), students should develop their ability to construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others in mathematics and write across content areas. However, there is limited guidance about how to teach students to write mathematically, how to evaluate students' mathematical writing, and the kinds of mathematical writing tasks to include in curriculum resources. This may mean that students do not experience the benefits from writing about their mathematical ideas. This conference will bring together education stakeholders to propose the types of and purposes for mathematical writing in the elementary grades. The Elementary Mathematical Writing Task Force (EMWTF) will be made up of educators who bring unique perspectives about elementary mathematical writing. It will include practitioners and academics from the fields of mathematics education, mathematics, and writing education and who are knowledgeable about students who have special needs, are English language learners, and have been identified as gifted. With the ultimate goal of reaching consensus about and priorities for the types of and purposes for elementary mathematical writing, the task force will review student work, writing prompts, curriculum standards, and other items. They will also suggest recommendations for future work in this area. Discourse has been and continues to be central to the teaching and learning of mathematics. Most recently, the CCSS calls for students to construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others in mathematics. This mathematical practice also alludes to writing that is emphasized on standards-aligned assessments. While the English language arts guidelines also call for writing across disciplines, questions remain about the types of and purposes for writing mathematically appropriate for the the elementary level. Therefore, a critical need exists to address these questions in order to guide teachers, researchers, assessment developers, and curriculum authors in work that impacts students. The EMWTF will identify, describe, and recommend productive types of and purposes for mathematical writing by elementary students. They will come to a consensus about the types of and purposes for mathematical writing that leverage students' learning as they review and analyze representations of writing, curriculum standards, student work samples, and assessment and curriculum resource prompts. Convening the EMWTF will open a comprehensive line of work in mathematical writing at a critical juncture in the history of the field of mathematics education. The intellectual merit of this project, therefore, lies in its potential to transform the field of mathematics education. The EMWTF will capitalize on expertise from practitioners and academics across multiple academic fields, including mathematics, writing, special, English language learners, and gifted education as well as mathematics. The broader impacts thus will facilitate the collaboration among and across disciplines and stakeholders that are both rare and infrequent.