Visual Journaling in an Alternative Mathematics Classroom

Abstract

Some students at my alternative secondary school have had a long-term dislike of mathematics that has negatively affected their attendance, progress, marks, and engagement throughout most of their experiences in mathematics courses. I have noticed that many of these same students have been enthusiastically involved in artistic endeavours, especially in art therapy classes and graffiti artwork projects. In consideration of those factors, the purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of using visual journals in secondary mathematics classroom (Grades 8 – 10) composed of reluctant and discouraged learners.