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Probing the structure of mathematical writing

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Abstract

This paper examines one mode of mathematical communication: that of student journal writing in mathematics. The focus of the discussion is a study of four years' use of journal writing in mathematics involving approximately 500 students in Grades 7 through 11 in a particular Victorian secondary school. The evaluation of the experimental use in one school of journal writing in mathematics provides a powerful demonstration of the link between language and mathematics and suggests a relationship between students' mathematical writings and their perceptions of mathematics and mathematical activity.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mathematics Teaching and Learning Centre, Australian Catholic University (Victoria) — Christ Campus, 17 Castlebar Road, 3166, Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia

    David J. Clarke & Andrew Waywood

  2. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board, First floor, 15 Pelham Street, 3053, Carlton, Victoria, Australia

    Max Stephens

Authors
  1. David J. Clarke
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  2. Andrew Waywood
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  3. Max Stephens
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Additional information

The research reported in this paper was funded in part by a grant from the National Center for Research in Mathematical Sciences Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Clarke, D.J., Waywood, A. & Stephens, M. Probing the structure of mathematical writing. Educ Stud Math 25, 235–250 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01273863

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