4 Ways Writing in Math Can Increase Critical Thinking Skills

“This is math class, not English. Why are we writing in math?” Here’s my short answer to this question.

My goal as a math teacher is to increase critical thinking skills for all of my students. This can look different for everyone, but I want my students to be able to take their ideas and thoughts and put them into words, so I know they truly understand a concept.

It’s easy to complete problem after problem using the same method or formula, but what if we want our students to think deeper?

Look, we all know that most of our students won’t need to solve these types of math problems once they graduate high school. However, they will need to be able to articulate their thoughts and defend their decisions using reasoning and evidence.

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For more tips for teaching critical thinking skills, check out these blog posts:

1. Critical Thinking Skills

Writing is a great way for students to show they have a deeper understanding of the material. By asking open ended questions, students can compare and contrast ideas, interpret real world scenarios, and problem solve.

2. Using resources and data to make claims and predictions

Making decisions and discussing their ideas is an essential skill that all students will use in the future regardless of their career choice.

One of my favorite quotes about math is “math teaches us about solving problems. In life, you may not always need math, but you will always have problems”

I think at this point it is safe to say that we don’t need to be asking our students to complete hours upon hours of graphing lines or constructions by hand anymore. With AI and other technological devices so readily available, we can learn how to use these tools to make solving complex problems more efficient.

Now I’m not saying that we don’t need to teach our students foundational skills and develop their math sense because that is still very important. However, I think we can look at teaching our students how to use their resources to be more efficient so they can dig deeper into the “why” behind a problem rather than just the “how”.

A perfect example of this is linear regression. If we allow our students to use Desmos or a graphing calculator to plot points and find the line of best fit, they will have more time to make predictions about the data and analyze it.

3. Defending decisions and ideas

Solving problems and getting a solution means so much more when a student is able to take their solution and explain it. Whether students need to write a proposal or make a presentation, justifying thoughts and actions is a skill every adult should have when they begin their career.

Real world applications are the perfect example of this. There are so many opportunities for student choice with real life connections. When all is said and done, we want our students to be able to explain why they made certain predictions and decisions.

Let me give you an example.

In this linear inequalities project, students are tasked with designing a backyard for a client. They need to stay under the budget while still offering their clients the best option.

All of your students could have completely different budget breakdowns and designs, but it’s up to them to be able to explain why theirs is optimal. Think about all of the times they will be able to use these skills in their future career (whether it’s landscaping or not)!

4. Show mastery of a concept

One of the most common signs of truly understanding a topic is being able to explain it to others. This can be shown through error analysis problems that ask students to give feedback on a student work sample. When students analyze common misconceptions, they are given a new perspective to look at math problems in a different way.

Writing in math class is a great way to simply increase critical thinking skills and gives students the opportunity to show that they understand in different ways. Now, next time your students ask why you are making them write in math class, come back to this post and use a few of these reasons to save yourself a headache.