I found this post from Dr. Judy Willis, Summer PD: The Brain-Based Benefits of Writing for Math and Science Learning pretty enlightening. Dr. Willis lays out the benefits of student writing from a nuerological standpoint. Writing helps the brain to develop "executive functions" such as "judgment, critical analysis, induction, deduction, delay of immediate gratification for long-term goals, recognition of relationships (symbolism, conceptualization), prioritizing, risk assessment, organization, [and] creative problem solving." Writing about math and science can also help students "input" the information into memory in such a way that it is easier to retrieve later by helping the student categorize and organize the content. Using reflection prompts can also aid in the retrieval process by adding a personal connection. The blog also explains how anxiety over answering questions in class can physically block the content from reaching long term memory. Willis offeres the idea of using written responses, using "code names" in class, to help ease the anxiety and allow for more active participation.
I know that research shows that the use of interactive notebooks really help students. This article just reaffirms this to me. The problem that I have consistently run into, however, is the practical implementation of the notebooks in the classroom. Teachers, whose opinion I highly value, have all told me time and time again that the use of the notebooks filter out over time. And, they are honest enough to share that it is simply because they do not have the kind of time necessary to keep up with them. If the teachers' responses to the writing are not timely, the students begin to lose interest and the value is lost. I am going to have to investigate some of the new google applications. Perhaps student chat groups reacting to responses to math and science content or concepts may help with this.... something else to explore and consult with others about!
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