ExtendingAlgebraIILearningBeyondtheClassroom

throughOnlineDiscussionandReflection

byLinseyZimmerman

INSTTECH6208

TableofContents

Introduction
LiteratureReview
Blogging
OnlineDiscussion
Methodology
Context
Methodologicalassumptionsandresearchmethodology
Participants
Procedure
TimeFrameofImplementation
References
Appendix
StudentSurveyQuestions
OnlineDiscussionsintheMathClassroomandStudentUnderstandingInterview
PilotData

Introduction

ExtendingthelearningofstudentsbeyondtheAlgebraIIclassroomissomethingIhave
attemptedtodothroughmyteachingforthelastsevenyears.Asstudentsinupperlevelmathcourses
oftenaskhowthecontentisapplicabletotheirdailylives,Ihavebeenlookingforwaystoshowthem.
Thisactionresearchprojectisdesignedtoseeifusingonlinediscussionandreflectioncanassistmein
doingso.
ThehighschoolIteachatisaclass4/5Aschoolinthemidwest.Theschoolserves
approximately1,100studentsfrom10th12thgrade.Thestudentsbelongpredominantlytothemiddle
class.ThemajorityofstudentsareofCaucasianethnicity.ThereisasmallpopulationofAsianand
AfricanAmericanstudents.
Throughoutthesesevenyears,Ihavefound,inmyAlgebraIIclassroom,mystudentsseemto
takeintheinformationpresentedbutseemtoflushitoutoftheirbrainsassoonastheassessmentis
complete.Therearepiecesthattheymayholdonto,buttheyarenotconnectingtheinformationtothe
realworldandthereforeseenovalueinstoringtheinformationlongterm.Thereareseveralcausesfor
thisproblem:First,asateacher,Ispendmostofourclasstimedeliveringthecontentastherearemany
processesthatneedtaught.Studentsseldomengageinrealworldproblemsolvingduetothis.AsIstated
before,Iattempttoprovidethemwithapplications,howeverthatalonedoesnotseemtosellthem.
Inordertosolvetheproblem,Iplantoconductactionresearchbyengagingstudentsinreflection
anddiscussionthroughtheuseofalearningmanagementsystem,suchasSchoology.Mymainfocusfor
myresearchis,Whateffectdoestheintegrationofreflectionanddiscussionhaveonstudentsinahigh
schoolAlgebraIIclass,throughtheuseofalearningmanagementsystem,suchasSchoology?Myhope
istointegratemorewriting,reflection,andconnectionofthecontenttheyarelearningtotheirdailylives.
Iwanttohelpthemrecognizehowitallfitsintotheirworldandthatmathreallyisallaroundthem.

Mystudentsarethekeystakeholdersinthisactionresearchproject.Theyaretheoneslearninghow
toreflectonthemathcontenttheyarelearningandapplyingittotheirdailylives.Theyaregoingto
createwordproblemsbasedonthecontent,andparticipateindiscussionsbothsynchronousand
asynchronoustoreflectoncontent.Myprincipalwillalsobeastakeholderashewillbeinvolvedinthe
researchbyprovidinginformationaboutschoolrestrictionsonconductingresearch.Theparentswillbe
involvedastheywillprovidesupporttostudentsthroughthedurationofthecourse.I,theteacher,will
alsobeastakeholderasIwillbeusingspecificteachingstrategies,suchascollaborativewritingand
collaborationthroughdiscussionintheclassroom.
Thepurposeofthisresearchistodetermineifwriting,reflection,anddiscussioninthemath
classroomwillessentiallyhelpstudentsconnectwhattheyarelearningtotherealworld,aswellashelp
themstoremoreofthecontentlongterm.Thestudentswillconductthereflectionsanddiscussions
throughtheuseoftheLMS,Schoology,inordertoengageinadiscussioninasafeenvironment,andto
promotelearningthroughtheuseoftechnology.Thisissueisimportanttomyclassroom,asIwantmy
studentstounderstandthemeaningoftheupperlevelmathcontent,andfocusontheuseofitinthereal
world.Manytimesstudentsdonotthinktheywilleverusethemathcontentpresentedintheupperlevel
courses,andseenouseforit.Myhopewiththisstudy,istofindawaytogetthemtocometothese
realizationsandtraintheirbraintothinkinalogicalmanner.

LiteratureReview
Thepurposeofthisresearchistoseewhateffecttheintegrationofreflectionanddiscussionhason
studentsinahighschoolAlgebraIIclass,throughtheuseofalearningmanagementsystem,suchas
Schoology.Theresearchdiscussedbelowshareshowpreviousresearchershavefoundhowwritinginthe
mathclassroomhasassistedstudentswiththelearningofmathematicalcontentwithaparticularfocuson
bloggingandtheuseofonlinediscussionsinthemathclassroom.Therewereseventotalstudiesfoundon
thetwotopics,fourdiscussedbloggingintheclassroomandthreediscussedusingonlinediscussionsinthe
classroom.Inadditiontothestudies,therewerefivepeerreviewedarticlesthatdiscussedtheintroduction
ofwritinginmathematicsthroughblogging,onlinediscussionsandvariousothermethods.

Blogging
MacBrideandLuchmann(2008)conductedacasestudytoexploretheintent,useandperceived
valueofahighschoolblog.TheychosetheblogofahighschoolPreCalculusteacher,Mr.K,asit
providedvariousexamplesofwaystouseablogintheclassroom.Hisblogincludedstudentscribeposts,
studentreflections,enrichmentchallengeproblems,chatboxes,sharingofresources,digitalstories,
instructionstoconductanonlineclass,andcommentsfromstudents(MacBride&Luchmann,2008).In
thestudy,theresearchersdiscoveredthatMr.Kchosetouseblogsinorderto1)increasecollaborative
learningandnurtureacommunityoflearners2)createastudentcenteredlearningenvironment3)
provideaplaceforreflectionand4)provideenrichmenttotheclass(p.175).Theresearchers,andMr.
K,foundthatblogsgavestudentstheopportunitytoaskquestionsoftheteacher,aswellaseachother,
drawconclusions,andlearnfromeachother.Graduatestudent,ShannonVasseur,alsoreviewedthis
studyandexplained,ThisabilitytotaketimeandreflectandlearnfromothersisparamountinWeb2.0
applications.Inthissense,studentsaretrulyfocusingontheireducationandlearningfromoneanother

(2008,p.9).Theblogevengavethemorereservedstudentsinatypicalclassroomsettingavoicethrough
thescribepostsandreflections.

Similarly,GreerandReedsstudy(2008)ofasmallupperlevelBatesCollegemathematicsclass
showedhowtheuseofblogscreatedadiscussionbetweenstudents.Theprofessor,Meredith,hadsetup
theclasstoincludebloggingwherestudentsrespondedtoquestionsbasedonthereading,aswellas
commentonandgradeeachothersposts.Sheusedthistoensurestudentshadavalidunderstandingof
theexerciseeventhoughtheyweregradingpapersthatmighthavebeendoneinverydifferentways
(p.143).Bloggingprovidesnotonlythestudentswithinformationaboutmath,butalsoteacherswith
informationaboutthestudentsunderstanding.Meredithstated,IthoughtIhadamuchbetter
connectiontohowmuchstudentsunderstoodandwhattheyneededtospendmoretimeon(p.146).
SimilartoMr.Ksblogmentionedearlier,Meredithfoundthat,Theblogwasalsoadifferentwayof
communicatingwithstudents,soIwasabletogetsomeinsightintothethoughtsofstudentswhowere
veryquietduringclass(p.146).
InasimilarstudybyOlsonandJohnson(2012),studentsinfourgrade8mathematicsclasses
weregiventheopportunitytocreatealearninglogtoincorporatewritingintothemathematicsclass.
Studentsweresplitintotwogroups:GroupAwasgiveninstructioninjournalwritingandGroupBwas
not.StudentsweregivenapreandposttesttodetermineiftheLearningLogassistedinimproving
studentachievement.TheLearningLogsprovidedstudentswithvariousopenendedquestionsto
describetheirthinking.Theseresearchersfoundthattheuseoflearninglogsprovidedstudentswitha
deeperunderstandingofthematerialpresented.InrelationtowhatOlsonandJohnsonfound,anarticle
byHsu,Ching&Grabowski(2014)stated,Whenblogsserveaslearninglogs,theyprovideaspacefor
learnerstoexpresstheirobservationsandperspectives,andmakeconnectionsbetweentheirexperiences
andwhattheylearn(p.749).Thestudyalsoprovidedstudentswithanopportunitytoassesseachother,

whichhelpedstart,avaluableconversationwherestudentstooktheroleoftheteacherandexplainedto
eachotherwhatwasneededtofullymeetexpectationsincompletingthejournalentries(p.195).
Lastly,inNicholsactionresearchstudy(2012)ofstudentsingrades3,4,and5,bloggingwas
usedtoexplorethelevelofengagementinthewritingprocessinhomeroomclassrooms,aswellasmath,
scienceandtechnologylabs.Studentsrespondedtoteacherpromptedquestionsandpoststhrough
comments.Theycommentedoneachothersblogsthroughouttheschoolyear,similartootherstudies
mentionedabove.Teachersdemonstratedhowtosetupablog,explainedtheuseofthebloginclass,and
monitoredstudentprogressionthroughtheadministrativedashboard.Throughoutthestudy,Nichols
reportedonstudentsabilitytowriteproperlyfortheirgradelevel,aswellasthenumberofstudentswho
liketowrite.Nicholsstated,Iwasalsosurprisedtofindthatmanystudentsreallyenjoybloggingand
areverymotivatedbythecommentsoftheirpeers(p.172).Throughthisopportunitytowritein
classrooms,wherewritingisnottypicallyincorporated,Nicholsreports,Itisexcitingtoreportthatthe
5thgradestatemandatedtestscoresimprovedby50%attheendofthisschoolyearaswell,whichcanbe
attributedinparttothisactionresearchproject(p.172).Byprovidingtheopportunityforstudentsto
learnthroughwritingorblogging,asthepreviousstudieshavedone,teachersgavestudentsadeeper
understandingofthemathematicalconcepts,andatthesametimecreatedaclassroomclimatethat
benefitedstudents.Burnssays,Writinginmath.providesawayforstudentstoreflectontheirown
learningandtoexplore,extendandcementtheirideasaboutthemathematicstheystudy(2004,p.30).
Eachofthesestudiesprovidesoneopportunitytoincreasestudentlearning,howeverthereare
manyweb2.0toolsthatcanbeusedtodothis.Anothertechnologicalmediumtoallowstudentreflection
isthroughonlinediscussions.

OnlineDiscussion
Onlinediscussionallowsasynchronousexchangesandpermitsonetooneandonetomany
interactions.Studentsexhibitmotivation,learnindependently,andtransferandapplyknowledgeto

reallifesituations(Kramarski&Mizrachi,2006,p.219).Onlinediscussionsareusedtoengagestudents
inadiscussionwitheachotherandwiththeteacherinordertogainadeeperunderstandingofaconcept.
Onlinediscussionscanbedoneusingdiscussionforumsand/oranonlinechatrooms,synchronouslyor
asynchronously.Chatroomsallowstudentstoconductrealtimediscourseinshortbursts,whereas
forumspromotediscussionatdifferenttimesoverthedurationoftheassignment(Graham&Hodgson,
2008,p.25).
AnactionresearchstudybyGrahamandHodgson(2008)involvedamultiethnichighschoolin
suburbanWashington,D.C.ThestudentswhowereobservedwereenrolledinGeometryandAlgebraII
classes.ThestudentsintheseclasseswereintroducedtoonlinediscussionsthroughMoodle,acourse
managementsystem.Theteacherwouldcreateanonlinediscussionthatfocusedonmathspecific
vocabularyandconceptsinordertoencouragestudentstousethevocabularytheyarelearningand
constructtheirunderstandingofsaidvocabulary.Toparticipateinthechat,studentswereaskedto
interpretportionsoftheirtextbookornotesintotermsthatmakesensetothem.Throughtheuseofthe
onlinediscussion,Studentshelpeachotherdevelopanunderstandingofthemathbyreadingand
reactingtodiscussionposts(Graham&Hodgson,2008,p.25).Notonlydidthisprovidethestudents
withachancetolearnfromeachother,itgavetheteachertheopportunitytoanalyzetheonline
interactionsamongthestudents.Theonlinediscussioncanbeprintedfortheteachertoreadandlearn
abouteachindividualstudentsunderstanding,andguideanyfutureinstruction.Bycomparingthe
performanceofthesetwoclasseswithstudentstaughtinatraditionalclassroom,theresultsindicatedthat
theonlinediscussionspositivelyaffectedthestudentslearning.Theresearchersalsofoundthatonline
discussionscanworkforanydiscipline,whetheritbemath,science,English,orhistory.Accordingto
GrahamandHodgson(2008),Electronicdiscussionboardsfacilitaterichdiscussionsaboutcourse
contentandbroadparticipationbyourincreasinglydiverselearners.Theyaddnew,effectivetoolstothe
teachersinstructionaltoolkit(p.27).

Notonlycantheonlinediscussionshappenintheclassroomsynchronously,butalsooutsideof
class,asynchronously.ThroughtheuseofcoursemanagementsystemslikeBlackboard,Moodle,and
Schoology,teacherscanprovideonlineforumswherestudentscancreatepostswhenevertheywouldlike.
RothMcDuffieandSlavit(2002)chosetoimplementonlinediscussionsineachoftheirMethodsof
TeachingElementaryMathematicsclassroomsatWashingtonStateUniversity.Theydidthisinorderto
providepreserviceteacherswithanopportunitytoseehowanonlinediscussioncanprovidereflectionfor
students.Bothclassesmetonceaweekforthreehours.Throughoutthecourse,studentswereableto
createtheirowndiscussionthreads,commentoneachothersdiscussionboards,andrespondtothreads
thatwerestartedbytheteacher.RothMcDuffieandSlavitusedtheonlinediscussiontoextendanyideas
thatwerepresentedduringweeklyinclassdiscussions.Bothclassesusedtheonlinediscussionboardsas
reflectionsofthestudentsownexperiencesintheclassroomaspreserviceteachers,aswellasreviewsof
thereadingsanddiscussionsinclass.Both,onceagain,foundthattheonlinediscussionssupported
individualreflection.Wefoundthatparticipatinginanonlinediscussionfacilitatedreflectionwhile
providingtheadditionalbenefitofsharingtheirreflectionswithothers(p.452).Oneotherbenefitfound,
similartoMr.Kwhousedblogging(MacBrideandLuchmann,2008),wasthatonlinediscussions
enhancedclassroomdiscussions.Byprovidingaforumforstudentdialogonline,theresearchersfound
thatstudentswerewillingtodiscussinclassaswellbecausetheyfeltasifasenseofcommunityhadbeen
builtalreadyamongthestudentsintheclass.Thisallowedformorestudentvoicestobeheard.
Asthetwothemesstatedabovebothprovidewaysforstudentstoreflectonthemathematical
content,thisstudywillsolelyfocusononlinediscussions.SimilarlytothestudyconductedbyRoth
McDuffieandSlavit(2002),Iwillhavestudentsparticipateinasynchronousdiscussionsthroughtheuse
ofthelearningmanagementsystem,Schoology.Mystudents,however,willbeinahighschool
mathematicscourseinsteadofpreservicemathteachersatthepostsecondarylevel.Also,asGrahamand
Hodgson(2008)hadstudentsinterprettheirnotesortextbookthroughaquestionpostedbyateacher,I

willdothesame.Studentswillrespondtoaposedquestionaboutmathvocabularyorthelessontaught,
andbeaskedtointerpretorreflectoverthecontent.Thiswillallowthestudentstohelpeachother
understandthecontentandprovidemewithinformationonstudentunderstanding.Studentsinthisstudy
willnotrefertoatextbookastheydidintheGrahamandHodgsonstudy.Studentswilldothis
asynchronouslytoallowustodiscusstheirthoughtsinclassinthefollowingdays.
Thisresearchisnecessaryastherewerenotmanystudiesconductedinahighschoolmathematics
setting.Thereweremanystudiesfoundattheelementarylevel,howeverstudentmotivation,ability,and
contentlevelsforlearningaremuchdifferentbetweentheelementaryandhighschoollevel,andtherefore
deemthisresearchnecessary.

Methodology

Asstudentsconsistentlystrugglewithsummativeassessmentsattheendofeachsemesterinmy
AlgebraIIclassesbecausetheytendtolearnaunitofmaterialandflushitoutoftheirbrainaftertheunit
assessment,Iplantoincorporatesomewritingandreflectionintothecurriculumtodetermineifitwill
helpthemunderstandthecontent.Ifthestudentsareabletomakesenseofthecontent,putitintheirown
words,andapplyittoasituationintheirlife,theyaremoreapttolearnitandnotforgetitsoquickly.My
actionresearchwasdesignedtoseeiftheimplementationofwritingandreflectionhelpedwiththis.

Context
ThisstudywillbeconductedinanAlgebraIIclassroomwith16juniorsandseniors.Ichosethis
classbecausethestudentshaveawiderangeofmathematicalabilitylevels.Thisclassalsohasavariety
oftopicswherestudentsseemtohaveadisconnectwiththerealworldapplication.Therefore,itismost
criticaltofindawayforstudentstoapplythecontenttotherealworld.Throughoutvariouslessonsinthe
unit,Iwillincorporaterealworldapplicationproblemstodiscusswiththestudents,andconduct
discussionsbothinclassandonlinetohavestudentssharetheirthoughtsaboutthecontentandtohelp
themconnectthecontenttotheirownlives.Iwillusethelearningmanagementsystem,Schoology,to
conducttheonlinediscussions.

MethodologicalAssumptionsandResearchMethodology

Ichosetoconductactionresearch,becausetheissueofgettingstudentstoconnecttheupperlevel
mathcontenttotherealworldandtoothercontentisnotgoingaway.Ihavetriednumerousmethodsto
helpstudentsconnectthematerialandhavenotfoundanythingthattrulyworkedtodate.Forstudentsto
trulylearntheinformation,Ifeeltheyneedtobeabletoconnectittotheirlivesandthatismyhopefor
thisactionresearch.

Mygeneralapproachtoresearchdesignisthequalitativeresearchmethods.Throughoutthis
processIwillhavelookedatstudentsthoughtsandopinionsonthewritingandreflectionthroughthe
onlinediscussionsonSchoology.Thatwillallowmetodetermineifstudentsaretrulybenefittingfrom
thisexperiencebybeingabletoapplythecontenttotheirdailylives.IchosethisapproachbecauseI
thinkitishelpfultoseehowstudentsfeelthingsaregoingintheclassroominorderforthemtohave
ownershipandprovidefeedbackfordifferentteachingstrategies.

Participants
Theparticipantsinthisresearchwere16AlgebraIIstudentsthatrangeinagefrom1618years
old.Thesestudentswereselectedbecause,outofthreeAlgebraIIclasses,thisclasshasthebest
attendance,thelargestclasssizeinordertohavethemostpeopleparticipate,andtheyarethemost
willingtoparticipateinclassthusfar.
Asstatedbefore,thesestudentshaveawiderangeofabilitylevels.Studentsareonthenormal
highschoolmathtrackiftheyareajuniorinAlgebraII.Therearesomestudentsthatwereinthehonors
levelAlgebraIIcourseandhavenowchosentotaketheregularAlgebraIIcourse.Therearealsoseniors
inthecoursethatareconsideredayearbehindintheirmathability.Atthebeginningoftheyear,eachof
thesestudentscreatedanintroductionvideotogettoknowtheirclassmatesandmyself,soIhavelearned
alittleaboutthemthen,andhavelearnedmoreasIgettoknowthemthroughoutthesemester.

Procedure
Positionastheresearcherandteacher.

Iwillplayadualroleforthisactionresearchproject.
Inadditiontomyregularteaching,Iamtheprimaryinvestigatorforthisactionresearchproject.Inorder
toavoidthepowerissuesbetweenmystudentsandme,Iwilltakeseriousconsiderationstoprotectmy
studentconfidentiality.Iwillhaveacolleaguepresentthestudentandparentconsentformsandthemain

officewillcollectthem,soIwillnotknowwhoisparticipatingandwhoisnot.Iwillalsokeepthe
recordedinterviews,aswellasanydocumentationfromstudents,inapasswordprotectedfileonmy
computerorinalockedfilecabinetwhereonlyIhaveakeyto.
EthicalConsideration.
Tobegintheactionresearchprocess,IfirstappliedforIRBapproval
throughmygraduateschool.Icompletedtheapplicationform,designedandcollectedstudentandparent
consentforms,andalsocreatedasurveyandinterviewquestionstoaskthestudentsthroughoutthe
researchprocess.AllweresubmittedtotheIRBandafterbeingreviewed,wasprovidedwithsuggestions
forchanges.Atthistime,IammakingthosechangestoreceiveIRBapproval.InordertobeIRB
approvedIcontactedmybuildingprincipaltoseewhatguidelinesImustfollowforapprovalfromthe
schooldistrict.Heprovidedmewiththenecessaryguidelinesandafterfollowingthose,wasgranted
approvalfromthedistricttoconductmyresearch.AfterreceivingIRBapproval,theconsentformswill
beprovidedtothestudentsviaacolleague.AsIamthecurrentAlgebraIIteacherandtheprincipal
investigator,Idonotwantstudentstofeelobligatedtoparticipateinthestudy.Mycolleaguewillalso
providemyclasswithaparentconsentforminwhichstudentstakehomeandreturntothemainoffice
withparentconsentiftheysochose.Inthelettertobesenthome,Iwillnotethatstudentswillnotbe
exposedtoanyrisksintheclassroomduetothisresearch.Itclearlystatesthatstudentsdonothaveto
participate,andtheirgradewillnotbeaffectedwhicheveroptiontheychose.

TimeFrameofImplementation
DuringJanuaryof2016,Iwillintroducedtheideaofincorporatingtheonlinediscussionforumto
thestudents.Theconsentformswillthenbepresentedtostudentsandparentswhichneedtobereturned
withinoneweek.Oncetheformsarecollected,datacollectionwillbegin.Periodically,Iwillposea
questiononSchoologyforthestudentstorespondtoinordertogetthemtoconnectthecontenttothe
nextlessonorapreviouslesson.Thestudentswillthenrespondtotheirclassmatesandhaveabrief

dialogueaboutthequestionthatevening.Thenextdayinclass,wewillreviewthediscussionandtryto
cometosomeconclusionsandtieupanylooseends.Thiswillbedonetogetstudentscomfortablewith
thesetupandwitheachother.
Duringthenexttwomonths,studentswillbegivenfivedifferentpromptsthroughouttwounits.
Again,thesameprocedurewillbecompletedtoseeifstudentsareconnectingthematerialtotheirdaily
livesandtopastorfuturelessons.Aftereachlesson,theinclassdiscussionwilloccurjustasbefore.
Afterthethirdpromptanddiscussiontakesplace,asurveywillbegiventothestudents
participatinginthestudytogaininsighttotheirthoughtsandfeelingsontheonlinediscussions.Data
willbecollectedandthenanalyzed.Thesamesurveywillbeprovidedafterthefifthprompttoseeifany
opinionshavechanged.Again,datawillbecollectedandanalyzed.
Finally,afterallsurveysarecompleted,collectedandanalyzed,fourstudentswillbechosenat
randomtobeinterviewed.Thestudentswillbeaskedvariousquestionsabouttheirthoughtsonhowthey
mayhavechangedasamathstudentandhowthediscussionshelpedtheminthemathclassroom.The
interviewwillalsoaskforinputonhowtheymightchangetheonlinediscussions.
ThedatacollectionwillalltakeplacethroughoutFebruaryandMarchof2016.Thedatawill
thenbeanalyzedwiththefinalresultspresentedbytheendofMay2016.

References
Burns,M.(2004).Writinginmath.
EducationalLeadership
,62(2),3033.Retrievedfrom
http
:/
/www.ascd.org.proxy.lib.uni.edu/

Cooper,A.(2012).Today'stechnologiesenhancewritinginmathematics.
TheClearingHouse:AJournal
ofEducationalStrategies,IssuesandIdeas
,85(2),8085.doi:10.1080/00098655.2011.624394

Driscoll,K.(2007).Collaborationintoday'sclassrooms:Newwebtoolschangethegame.
Multimedia
andInternet@Schools
,14(3),9.

Graham,J.,&Hodgson,T.(2008).SpeakingMath:UsingChatintheMulticulturalMathClassroom.
Learning&LeadingwithTechnology
,35(5),2427.

Greer,M.L.,&Reed,B.(2008).Blogshitclassroom:Studentsstartreading.
Primus
,
18
(2),139148.doi:
10.1080/10511970701716164

Hsu,YC.,Ching,YH.,&Grabowski,B.(2014)Web2.0ApplicationsandPracticesforLearning
ThroughCollaboration.
HandbookofResearchonEducationalCommunicationsandTechnology
.VII.
747758.doi:10.1007/9781461431855_60

Kramarski,B.,&Mizrachi,N.(2006).Onlinediscussionandselfregulatedlearning:Effectsof
instructionalmethodsonmathematicalliteracy.
TheJournalofEducationalResearch,
99(4),218231.
doi:10.3200/JOER.99.4.218231

MacBride,R.,&Luehmann,A.L.(2008).Capitalizingonemergingtechnologies:acasestudyof
classroomblogging.
SchoolScienceandMathematics
,108(5),173+.
doi:10.1111/j.19498594.2008.tb17826.x

Nichols,A.(2012).Bloggingacrossthecurriculum:Anactionresearchproject.
JournalofEducational
MultimediaandHypermedia
,21(2),165174.

Olson,J.,&Johnson,C.S.(2012).Implementingjournalwritinginagrade8Mathematicsclass.
Significance
,3(3).Retrievedfrom
http://www.journals.savap.org.pk

RothMcDuffie,A.,&Slavit,D.(2002).Utilizingonlinediscussiontosupportreflectionandchallenge
beliefsinelementarymathematicsmethodsclassrooms.
ContemporaryIssuesinTechnologyandTeacher
Education
,2(4),447465.Retrievedfrom
http://http://www.citejournal.org

Vasseur,S.M.(2008).EducationalTechnologyIntegrationwithWeb2.0Applications(Doctoral
dissertation,MinnesotaStateUniversity,Mankato,2008.LibraryMediaEducation.).Retrievedfrom
http://grad.mnsu.edu/

Appendix

StudentSurveyQuestions
1. Rateyourlevelofcomfortwithpostinginanonlinediscussionwithyourclassmates.1meaningnot
atallcomfortable,and5meaningverycomfortable.

1
2
3
4
5

2.Rateyourfeelingsofhowtheonlinediscussionhelpsyouconnectthetopicsyouarelearningtoone
another.1meaningthediscussionsdonotconnectthetopicsatalland5meaningthediscussionshelp
youunderstandtheconnectionbetweenthetopicseasily.

1
2
3
4
5

3.Howhastheonlinediscussionhelpedyouconnectwithyourclassmates?

4.Howhastheonlinediscussionhelpedyouunderstandthemathtopics?

5.Haveyoubeenanactiveparticipantintheonlinediscussions?Why/whynot?

6.Describeasituationwherereadingyourclassmatespostswasbeneficialtoyourunderstandingofa
topic.

7.Howcantheonlinediscussionsbenefitstudentsinthemathclassroom?Isthereanythingyouwould
changeabouttheonlinediscussionstoimprovethem?

OnlineDiscussionsintheMathClassroomandStudentUnderstandingInterview

1. Whathaveyoulearnedaboutyourselfasamathstudentthroughtheonlinediscussions?

2. Whathaveyoulearnedfromyourclassmatesthroughtheonlinediscussions?

3. Howdotheonlinediscussionsanddiscussionsinclasshelpyouconnectthemathtopicsweare
learning?

4. Didtheonlinediscussionschallengeyou?Why/whynot?

5. Wouldyouchangeanythingabouttheonlinediscussionstoimprovethem?

PilotData
Student1SurveyQuestions
1. Rateyourlevelofcomfortwithpostinginanonlinediscussionwithyourclassmates.1meaningnot
atallcomfortable,and5meaningverycomfortable.

1
2
3
4
5

4(Youmaywanttochangethistoexplainyourresponse).

2.Rateyourfeelingsofhowtheonlinediscussionhelpsyouconnectthetopicsyouarelearningtoone
another.1meaningthediscussionsdonotconnectthetopicsatalland5meaningthediscussionshelp
youunderstandtheconnectionbetweenthetopicseasily.

1
2
3
4
5

3(Youmaywanttochangethistoexplainyourresponse)

3.Howhastheonlinediscussionhelpedyouconnectwithyourclassmates?
Thediscussionsreallydonthelpmeconnectwithclassmates
becauseIpostandcommenttomyfriends,
soIamnotreallymakingotherconnectionsoutsideofmyfriends.

4.Howhastheonlinediscussionhelpedyouunderstandthemathtopics?
Ifeelthatthe
mathtopicsaregivingmeaconnectiontotherealworld.
Iamalwaysaskingmyselfwhydo
IhavetolearnthisbecauseIwillnotbeusingafterhighschool.Thisallowsformetohaveabetter
understandingofhowthemathtopicsareactuallyusedandmotivatesmetolearnthecontentnow.

5.Haveyoubeenanactiveparticipantintheonlinediscussions?Why/whynot?
Ihavebeenanactiveparticipantintheonlinediscussions.
IpostwhennecessaryandIcommenttoothers
likeIshouldwhentheduedateisthere.


6.Describeasituationwherereadingyourclassmatespostswasbeneficialtoyourunderstandingofa
topic.
Iwashavingtroubleswiththedomainandrangeoffunctions.

Basedonconversationsonline,Iwasable
tounderstandthatthedomainwasthexvaluesgoingleftandright,whiletherangearetheyvalues(up
anddown).

7.Howcantheonlinediscussionsbenefitstudentsinthemathclassroom?Isthereanythingyouwould
changeabouttheonlinediscussionstoimprovethem?
Onlinediscussionsinthemathclassroomcanhelpstudentstalkaboutmathinthesenseoftherealworld.
ThequestionthatIamalwaysaskingmyselfiswhenamIevergoingtousethis.Thediscussionshave
helpedanswersthisquestion.
Thediscussionshavealsoallowedformetounderstandaconceptthat
anotherstudentexplained.SometimesIamnervoustoaskMrs.Zimmermanaquestion,butwiththe
onlinediscussionsomeoneelsemayhavealreadyaskedthatquestionsoIcanhaveabetter
understanding.

OnlineDiscussionsintheMathClassroomandStudentUnderstandingInterview

1. Whathaveyoulearnedaboutyourselfasamathstudentthroughtheonlinediscussions?
IhavelearnedthatsometimesIneedadifferentexplanationofatopicthroughanotherpersonbesidesthe
teacher.

Istrugglesometimeswithunderstandingthecontentortheprocessonhowtosolvesomething,
butdonotwanttolookstupidinfrontofmypeers.

2.Whathaveyoulearnedfromyourclassmatesthroughtheonlinediscussions?
IhavelearnedthatIneedtobeaskingquestionsthroughthediscussions.Ihavenotaskedasmany
questionsbecauseIamtooshytoask.However,whenanotherstudentasksmyquestionthenIfeel
relieved.Ineedtobehelpingmyownpeersoutwiththisaswell,evenifIfeelstupidaboutaskinga
question.

3.Howdotheonlinediscussionsanddiscussionsinclasshelpyouconnectthemathtopicsweare
learning?
Theyhelpmetoconnectittotherealworld.Thediscussionsonlinearelikethepreviewtowhatisgoing
tohappenorsometimesitisjustagoodreiterationofwhathappenedinclass.Havingboththeonlineand
theinclassdiscussionsallowsforthecontenttostayfreshinmymindversusonlytalkingorlookingat
thecontentduringthatspecificclassperiod.

4.Didtheonlinediscussionschallengeyou?Why/whynot?
TheonlinediscussiondidnotchallengemeasIsometimeslookedupanswersthroughGoogle.
SometimesIwouldevenlookatdifferentYouTubevideosforinformation.

5.Wouldyouchangeanythingabouttheonlinediscussionstoimprovethem?

Itishardtopostandcommenttootherclassmateswithinonenighttohavesomethingtodiscussthenext
dayinclass.ItisalwayslikeIamtryingtowatchwhentocommentonsomeoneelsespost.Itendto
commentonthesamepeoplebecauseofthetimingofwhenwegenerallypost.

Student2SurveyQuestions
1. Rateyourlevelofcomfortwithpostinginanonlinediscussionwithyourclassmates.1meaning
notatallcomfortable,and5meaningverycomfortable.

1
2
3
4
5

2.Rateyourfeelingsofhowtheonlinediscussionhelpsyouconnectthetopicsyouarelearningtoone
another.1meaningthediscussionsdonotconnectthetopicsatalland5meaningthediscussionshelp
youunderstandtheconnectionbetweenthetopicseasily.

1
2
3
4
5

3.Howhastheonlinediscussionhelpedyouconnectwithyourclassmates?
Idontthinkthediscussionshavehelpedmeconnectwithmyclassmates.
Ithinktheyhavehelpedme
learnmyclassmatesnamesand

IhavelearnedaboutthemathtopicsfromclassmatesmorethanIhave
connectedwiththem.

4.Howhastheonlinediscussionhelpedyouunderstandthemathtopics?
IhaveseenalotmoreoftheconnectionsfromtopictotopicthanIdidbefore.Ialwaysknewthatmy
teacherssaythatmathbuildsonitself,butdidntreallybelievethem.Ifiguredtheywerejustsayingthat
tomakeusdoourhomework.ThediscussionquestionsMrs.Zimmermanhasgivenushavehelpedme
seehowthetopicsreallydobuildoffeachother.

5.Haveyoubeenanactiveparticipantintheonlinediscussions?Why/whynot?
Ihaveparticipatedinmostofthediscussions.SometimesIforgettodoitbecauseImnotreallyusedto
doingthisinmymathclasses.

6.Describeasituationwherereadingyourclassmatespostswasbeneficialtoyourunderstandingofa
topic.
Duringthequadraticsunit,Iwashavingtroubleunderstandingwhythereweresomanydifferentwaysto
solvethem(findthexintercepts).Oneofthequestionsforourdiscussioninthatunitasked,Whydowe
usedifferentmethodstosolvemathproblems?A
fterreadingmyclassmatespostsabouthowtherearea
lotofsituationswherewecouldeachhaveadifferentwaytosolvesomething.Myclassmatetalkedabout

howwhensomeoneasksfordirectionstoWalmart,theycouldget5differentpathstogettheredepending
onwhotheyask.

Thatsalotlikeamathproblem.Therearealotofwaystosolvethem,butwejustpick
whatmethodswewanttousebasedonourownpersonaljudgment.

7.Howcantheonlinediscussionsbenefitstudentsinthemathclassroom?Isthereanythingyouwould
changeabouttheonlinediscussionstoimprovethem?
Theonlinediscussionscanhelpstudentsreflectonwhattheyhavelearnedandmaybeevenconnect
lessonstogetherlikeIsaidbefore.
Ithinkeitherchangingthedeadlineforthediscussionsorhavingthem
moreoftenwouldhelpbecauseIforgetaboutthem.Ifwedidthemmoreoften,thatmighthelpme
remembertodothem.

OnlineDiscussionsintheMathClassroomandStudentUnderstandingInterview

1. Whathaveyoulearnedaboutyourselfasamathstudentthroughtheonlinediscussions?
Ilearnedthatmathbuildsonitself,likemyteachershavealwayssaid.Thathashelpedmelearntolook
atwhatwehavelearnedinthepasttohelpfigureoutwhatwearecurrentlydoing.

IhavealsolearnedI
canaskmyclassmatesforhelpifIneedit.

2.Whathaveyoulearnedfromyourclassmatesthroughtheonlinediscussions?
IhavelearnedwhoinmyclassissomeoneIshouldtalktoandaskquestionsfromifMrs.Zimmermanis
busy.IhavealsolearnedthatImnotalonewhenImconfused.

3.Howdotheonlinediscussionsanddiscussionsinclasshelpyouconnectthemathtopicsweare
learning?
NowIlookforsomeoftheconnectionsinclass.Icanrelatewhatwearelearningnowtowhatweve
doneinthepast.Thathelpsmerememberwhattodosometimes.

4.Didtheonlinediscussionschallengeyou?Why/whynot?
No,theydidntreallychallengeme.SometimesImnervoustotypeinananswerbecauseIdontwantto
bewayofffrommyclassmates,butusuallymyanswersarejustliketheirs.

5.Wouldyouchangeanythingabouttheonlinediscussionstoimprovethem?
IsaidbeforeIwouldeitherchangethedeadlineordothemmoreoftensoIcanremembertodothem.I
thinkmaybeweshouldcommentonsomeoneneweverytimetoosowedontjustpostonourfriends
posts.