Professional Article Summary
Find a minimum of five professional articles that report on research conducted about or around your
topic. First, write the reference using APA format. Second, tell what the study was about
(approximately 150 words) and third, explain why this study is relevant to the study you plan to conduct
(approximately 150 words). When you have completed analyzing the articles, write a summary of what
you found.
Articles
Reference (APA format): Kostos, K., Shin, E. (2010). Using math journals to enhance
second graders’ communication of mathematical thinking. Early Childhood Education
Journal, 38(3), 223-231.
What this study was about: This study used mixed methodology to investigate how the use of
math journals affected second grade students’ communication of mathematical thinking. Data
collection included pre/post assessments, students’ math journals, and interviews with the
students. The teacher also kept a reflection journal. This study looks at the use of math journals
as a means of students communicating their mathematical thinking. The research in this study
confirms students’ ability to communicate their thought processes in math is getting more
attention today. Students are required to demonstrate their ability to communicate their
mathematical thinking on high stakes testing. Therefore teachers must find a way for students to
practice using a variety of methods of communication to explain their mathematical thinking.
Another interesting idea about math journals is the fact that they can be used as a means of
assessment. While time constraints may become an issue as far as time to write and time to
assess. The value of the information the teacher gets from the writing outweigh the time spent
grading. The study reported the use of math journals positively influenced students’
communication skills of mathematical thinking as well as their use of math vocabulary.
Why this is Relevant to my Study: This study looks at student communication of mathematical
thinking and processes. It is relevant to my study because Interactive Student Notebooks will
include student written responses to prompts daily. Students will be expected to write their
explanations of how they found solutions to problems. Therefore this article will be beneficial to
my research because it demonstrates the importance of students being able to communicate, not
only orally, but in written form their mathematical thinking. I also found in interesting that in
this study the teacher assessed the journals. I will develop a rubric to assess my students’
notebooks. I think this type of assessment information can be extremely beneficial to me as a
teacher. I plan to keep a reflection journal as well to document benefits I observe through
assessing student writing in math journals. I can relate my results to the results of this study.
Reference (APA format): Gambill, J. M., Moss, L. A., Vescogni, C. D. (2008). The impact
of study skills and organizational methods on student achievement. Retrieved August 9,
2014, Eric Number ED501312.
What this study was about: This study was done by three teachers at different schools in an
effort to analyze possible reasons for students’ low grades. They found a relationship between
the problems of late work, unprepared students, and lax attitudes with students who were not
organized. These teachers taught a variety of ages, from third through twelfth grade. Across all
grade levels they saw a correlation between low-performing students and evidence of a lack of
organizational skills. Data collection methods included journals, surveys, and students grades
that indicated increased student organization was beneficial to student performance. The action
plan in this project consisted of a variety of methods of teaching and monitoring student
organizational skills. It even included parents by having them assist students at home with
organizing. One interesting finding was a direct correlation between student attendance and poor
student organization and low academic performance. Students with high numbers of absences
missed out on opportunities for direct instruction on study skills and time to get their materials
organized.
Why this is Relevant to my Study: This article reveals the relationship between student
organization and their success. Organization needs to be a priority is clearly stated throughout
this study. According to the research, organization is a strategy in which it increases student’s
attention, provides instruction at an appropriate level and pacing and in turn decreases the
number of student errors and makes the student actively involved in the learning process.
Interactive Student Notebooks are an organizational tool for students to use as a reference in
studying and preparing for assessments. Materials in notebook are to be neat and all writing is
expected to be legible. Students will be held accountable for having their ISN in class every day.
The teacher will model organization of the ISN by keeping her own notebook and writing
responses to share with students about her mathematical thinking. Therefore, this article is very
relevant to my study because it supports the notion of organization being the key to student
success.
Reference (APA format): Waldman, C., Crippen, K. J., (2009). Integrating interactive
notebooks. Science Teacher. 76(1), 51-55.
What this study was about: This article reports the importance of integrating interactive
notebooks in science. It includes information concerning the design of the notebooks including
a structural overview and example activities for both the left and right page spread. This article
explains how the notebooks empower students for learning because they require active
engagement and help students visualize concepts as well as demonstrate understanding. The
article clearly states that using interactive notebooks teaches students organizational skills.
Implementation suggestions are broken down in a bulleted list for teachers to refer to as needed.
Assessment strategies for the interactive notebooks are also included in this article. Quick
grades can be given for in and out activities as well as summative evaluations for completeness
of a unit in the notebooks. In conclusion, the author believes through use of the interactive
notebooks, students value their learning and in turn feel empowered them to become confident
and focused.
Why this is Relevant to my Study: While this article is referring to use of interactive notebooks
in the science classroom, it still relates to my project because their description of the notebooks
is very similar to the ones used in math classes. They define the interactive notebook as “a
varied set of strategies to create a personal, organized, and documented learning record.” This is
the same for all subject areas. The author uses the same concept of left brain, right brain
thinking to layout the information. However, the specific details on what to put on the two pages
are different. The explanation in this article on how to implement the notebooks follow the same
format to teach students how to set up their notebooks and model organization of information.
They are personal and reflective to the students which encourages students to be motivated and
engaged in their learning.
Reference (APA format): Wist, C. (2006). Putting it all together: Understanding the
research behind interactive notebooks. Retrieved on August 8, 2014.
What this study was about: This study examines literature that is supportive of interactive
notebook use in the classroom. This literature includes research on the brain, multiple
intelligences and note taking. Based on this research the author presents a variety of ways for
interactive notebooks to be setup. There is a significant amount of research on Gardner’s
Multiple Intelligences that support the use of interactive notebooks. While educators are familiar
with the intelligences, it is critical for them to understand their effects on student learning.
According to this study, interactive notebooks can be an important tool to assist students in
remembering and reviewing information for assessments. I find it interesting that the findings of
this study indicate that interactive notebooks are a useful tool to teachers and students. However,
it also mentions discovery of advantages and disadvantages that teachers must take into account
before using in the classroom.
Why this is Relevant to my Study: This study relates to mine because it is full of research
behind the interactive notebooks. It gives a complete breakdown of the research on the brain as
it relates to learning. This explains why interactive notebooks are setup with a left side, right
side usage for each day’s lesson. The article lists Gardner’s eight multiple intelligences and
defines each of them. There are differences in students and the intelligences in which they are
more successful learners. I think that once the teacher understands how the brain is structured
and the fact that students have multiple intelligences that guide their learning, they can begin to
study learning strategies to incorporate in the classroom, such as the use of the interactive
notebooks. This article is very valuable to my study because it not only gives specific
information on what the interactive notebook looks like, it gives researched information about
why the notebooks are such an asset to teachers and students.
Reference (APA format): Pollock, J. E., (2012). How Feedback Leads to Engagement.
Educational Leadership, 70(1).
What this study was about: This article is about the importance of feedback. It discusses how
students who are not engaged yet are not behavior problems, tend to get overlooked by the
teacher. The article goes on to encourage teachers to teach disengaged students useful ways to
request feedback from teachers and peers the students become more involved. There are three
techniques referred to in the article to accomplish this task. Goal-Accounting Templates,
Interactive Student Notebooks and Scoring Rosters are the three techniques presented. The
technique of goal-accounting templates require teachers to provide the students with a template
for students to set goals based on lesson objectives and rate their understanding before and after
lesson on their goal sheet. Technique two-Interactive Student Notebooks encourages teachers to
use this strategy to assist the disengaged student with focus and lack of organization issues. The
article compares the notebooks to traditional note-taking. The interactive student notebooks
provide more immediate feedback and establish a structured note-taking process. The third
technique is a matrix the teachers creates with a student roster. As students work independently
or collaboratively on an assignment the teacher moves around the room making notes on the
matrix. Because the teacher is moving around, this technique may encourage the disengaged
student to ask questions or request assistance. This article concludes that when used correctly
teachers have increased student achievement.
Why this is Relevant to my Study: This article is important to my study because it confirms
the use of interactive notebooks will increase student achievement. I also found the other
techniques of student engagement to be interesting. There is evidence in this article that the
disengaged, quiet and withdrawn students become more actively engaged when these techniques
are used in the classroom. Students can share their notebooks with classmates and get immediate
peer feedback. They can communicate their problem solving strategies with peers and compare
how they reached their answers. Teachers can immediately give feedback on interactive student
notebooks as she walks around the room observing written responses and dialogue with peers. I
find it interesting that the author of this article is so focused on the disengaged student and the
motivation the notebooks will bring to them. If this is correct, I can’t wait to see how the
engaged students respond to the notebooks.
Big Take-aways: Overall Conclusions to Inform my Project
(What have you learned from these articles you have read that is relevant to you and your work?)
Locating research on the topic of Interactive Student Notebooks (ISN) has been more difficult than I
anticipated. Therefore I branched out to other topics that would relate to the importance of using the
notebooks such as student motivation, engagement, and organizational skills. One article I found was full
of detailed information concerning the research behind the use of ISN. It explained why it is important to
use left and right pages needed to be used for specific types of tasks daily. This will be an excellent
resource for me as I move forward with my project. While everything I read was in support of the use of
Interactive Notebooks, some were not specific to math. However, the theory behind the benefits of using
the notebooks is the same for all subject areas. I found the article on organization to be very beneficial to
my project. I didn’t realize how important it is to specifically teach organizational skills to students at an
early age. I will definitely use this information to guide my instruction for using ISN during this project.
While I did find it difficult to find information on my topic, I was surprised at how long the concept of
Interactive Student Notebooks has been around. I was pleased that the articles and studies I found
proved student achievements improved when Interactive Student Notebooks were used. If they did refer
to the notebooks directly the articles proved that teaching organizational skills and including writing of
student mathematical thought processes were also beneficial to student achievement. I feel better about
my project and look forward to reading more as I continue.