Action Research

For my action research I have been looking at the amount of student effort put into an interactive math journal correlating with student success in math.  There are several definitions of math journals and the basic understanding of this is for students to expand on their reasoning in math and explain their thinking.  It is also a way for students to record major concepts in a way that they are going to remember and understand important ideas.

I have started to use math journals in my classroom this year and so far they have been a success.  I model for the students what should go into their journals.  Then, I have them reflect or explain in their own words regarding the concept for that day. I have found that students seem to have a deeper understanding about certain concepts when they are asked to go in depth and reflect on their thinking.  I will continue to implement these throughout the rest of the school year.  I also plan on evaluating their journals using a rubric.  This allows them to understand the expectations set forth with their journals and know that it is a part of their math grade.  It is also a more effective way to get across the major concepts in math and incorporate writing into math beyond the definitions of vocabulary words.

I am excited to use this research of math journals to keep implementing them with my students and use them in more effective ways.  The research shows great increases in math achievement levels and I hope to continue seeing this with my students!