Original projects and individual journals can challenge students who are more linguistically oriented, and who crave expression for their ingenuity and creativity - even in a mathematics course - to develop a greater understanding of and appreciation for mathematics. Projects can be an invaluable tool for increasing student understanding of course content and benefit students by helping them develop skill for recognizing everyday situations to which mathematics can be applied. Also, the joy that creating an original project can induce in the less mathematically-inclined students often results in high quality projects being produced by these students. Journaling can be valuable by freeing students to delve into their mathematical depths and to discuss various aspects of their approach to mathematics. This enables students to discuss in private deeper questions, as well as difficulties which they might be hesitant to discuss in a classroom setting. Results from journals can be rather dramatic in enabling a teacher to address in class the root of difficulties that are sometimes not reached in formal class discussion. Much to my surprise, I have found even more exciting and enriching the journal entries which I have required to be submitted via e-mail.

See also journal assignments that accompany this talk.

Sr. Helen Christensen, RSM
106 Woodlawn Rd.
Baltimore, MD 21210-2545
hcc@loyola.edu
(410) 617-2266