Electronic Resources - Advice From Teacher Writers

There are people in this world who write for a living. Like teachers, they put in long hours for low pay and too little recognition. Although some writers do manage to achieve wealth and fame, most are simply motivated to use their special gifts to inspire, to inform, and, in no small measure, to entertain. These are not the people who write articles for the Mathematics Teacher.

The people who write articles for the Mathematics Teacher are mathematics teachers. They are not professional writers, but like professional writers, they succeed in their craft to the extent that they can inspire, inform, and entertain. The average mathematics teacher might not feel like a writer, but a writer at the desk and a teacher in the classroom do have those same three goals in mind. For this reason alone, many more teachers should be eager to radiate their affection for mathematics through the time-honored medium of the written word. Our professional journal would be stronger for their input, and our profession could certainly benefit from the radiation.

If you have ever read an article in the Mathematics Teacher and thought, "This teacher sounds just like me" or at the other extreme "I would have said this differently," then why not let your voice be heard too? Do not ask yourself whether you can write; ask rather whether you can inspire, inform, and perhaps entertain -- three things that you are probably doing in your classroom every day. Mix those three prerequisites with a muse and an editor, and good writing will inevitably follow. If writers can teach -- and they do -- then teachers can certainly write. After all, does it take more wit or wisdom to convey to a reader the loveliness of a tree, or to convey to a student the loveliness of algebra? Quod erat de monstrandum.

Edna St Vincent Millay, a poet, once said of a Mathematics Teacher, "Euclid alone has looked on beauty bare." The writer was clearly jealous of the teacher. In this context, worth noting that Millay's famous words would never have been written if Euclid had not written first.

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Dan Kennedy is a teacher and dorm parent at Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, who has submitted several heartfelt articles to professional journals, some of which have actually appeared in print. As a long-time referee of other submissions, he feels strongly that some of the best writers in our profession have yet to enter the fray.

When a great mathematics idea surfaces, I cannot get it out of my mind until I finally commit it to writing. I begin with a unique activity, lesson, or project that I created -- often out of frustration -- to address concepts that students had difficulty grasping. I like to showcase an intriguing idea which keeps growing -- both horizontally and vertically -- every time it is presented to students. I always try to incorporate into each manuscript verbatim reactions of students and how their understanding (or lack of understanding) was vital in revising the activity. This process reassures other teachers that it is okay to try a good idea and customize it later. It is important to remember that good education revolves around change over time, not perfection the first time.

When writing an article for a professional journal, I particularly enjoy the research end of it. It forces me to do the reading I should be doing anyway, exposes me to other points of view, and provides me at least one "aha" mathematical experience. I try to vary the pace for the reader by interjecting ideas from other authors throughout the article rather than including a separate research section.

For me, the most difficult part of writing professionally is the process of rewriting. My ego is always a little bruised when my "perfect" manuscript is returned with red ink marks and suggestions for revision. I now attempt to outline each manuscript directly on my rough draft after I complete the manuscript but before I submit it. If it cannot be easily outlined, I tighten the structure of the article or relocate passages to improve the transition. All in all, writing math is almost as rewarding as talking math to a colleague -- I always take away more from the experience than I give away.

Anne Patterson has taught mathematics and served as a mathematics in-service specialist in Florida for more than twenty years. Anne travels nationwide presenting workshops on algebraic and geometric thinking in keeping with the NCTM Standards and writes professionally. She has recently written "Building Algebraic Expressions: A Physical Model" (Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, NCTM, February, 1997) and her science-math article "Grasping Graphing" appearing in the September 1999 issue of the Mathematics Teacher.

"But this isn't an English class!" is the response I always get from my algebra and geometry students when they are asked to write an explanation of a problem or an entire paper on a project. Each new class must be convinced that writing is also important in mathematics. This same message applies to high school teachers who have ideas that should be shared. My first hint is that you should be writing. Don't assume that because you are "just a high school teacher" you have nothing to write about and that only college level educators should write. Don't assume that your ideas are not valuable because you don't teach upper level high school courses like trigonometry and calculus. Any activity, at any level, that teaches good mathematics and works in the classroom is valuable to other teachers.

My second hint is to write about something that really succeeds in your classroom, an activity that both you and your students get excited about and that involves significant mathematics. An activity has additional value if it includes technology, has an interdisciplinary component, or is open-ended to allow for student creativity. You may find that you are already doing an activity that could be improved by adding one or more of these dimensions. When you find a suitable activity, do the following as you prepare to write about it:

The last suggestion leads to my third hint: to improve your own writing, make your students write. Being forced to evaluate and comment on the writing of your students will also help you evaluate your own writing. I asked a language arts colleague to help me when I first started making my students write. She and I graded the papers separately and then compared notes. More recently I have also found that doing a PowerPoint presentation of an activity before writing about it is a wonderful way for students (and teachers) to be forced to organize and simplify their major ideas. Writing a paper after this kind of activity is much easier.

When you are ready to write, use some previously published articles from the Mathematics Teacher as patterns for how to organize and what to include. Describe the activity in a simple, unambiguous, logical fashion so that it will be easily understood and easily replicated. Include a clear statement of the objectives. If possible, include photographs, student work, and some student comments. If appropriate, you might also suggest alternative approaches or extensions to the activity.

After you have drafted the article, ask mathematics and language arts colleagues to make suggestions. Also, read aloud what you have written to test the flow of the language. When you have a final draft, it's still a good idea to have someone else read it again and make further revisions. Finally, submit the article and be patient. If the article is accepted, you will be asked to make revisions based on excellent suggestions from the referees who read your paper. They offer some different perspectives that will help you improve the article.

Judy Snyder teaches Algebra 2, Geometry, and Math Tech in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. Her professional interests include teaching with technology, interdisciplinary teaching, and mentoring teacher interns.