However, I knew there were limits to how well students could communicate why they know
what to do, which was another reason I decided on this particular intervention, to help them better
communicate what they know. Also, writing “facilitates learning by motivating students to explore,
clarify, and think deeply about the ideas and concepts they encounter” (Vacca, 2008, p. 243).
Another reason why I wanted students to explain their thinking was because having them
“generate explicit explanations of the material they study has emerged as one potentially effective
tool for promoting learning and transfer” (Matthews, 2009).