Communicating Mathematics: Is It 'Write' To Discuss Mathematics?

Jeff A. Libby (Presenter) and Bart D. Stewart

United States Military Academy

For many students, computational math is relatively easy, 'plug and chug', but discussing or writing about the process is a monumental task for most students. However, once a student can articulate the concepts utilized in the computational process, the student will have a better understanding of the concepts and will retain that knowledge.

In an effort to help students become more comfortable with discussing and/or writing about mathematics, instructors in the math department at USMA employ several different methods: Boardwork, projects, and math essays. Board work allows the students to work problems in class and then brief their peers using correct terminology on the problem solving process. This can also spark discussion on different methods of solving a problem. Projects require the students to perform numerous computations, create data tables, and graphs. Although the computations, tables, and graphs are important, they are not weighted as heavily as the conceptual discussion of the problem solving process and analysis of the results. Finally, math essays, which are used in conjunction with quizzes and tests, take the student out of the "plug and chug" mode and intellectually challenge them to write about math concepts under a time constraint.