Publisher’s description: The book discusses both how to create effective writing assignments for mathematics classes, and why instructors ought to consider using such assignments. The book is more than just a user’s manual for what some have termed “writing to learn mathematics”; it is an argument for engaging students in a dialogue about the mathematics they are trying to learn.
The first section contains chapters addressing the nuts and bolts of how to design, assign, and calculate writing assignments. The second section, Listening to Others, introduces ideas such as audience, narrative, prewriting and process writing which our colleagues in writing departments have found useful. Specific examples illustrate how these are important for writing in mathematics classes. After discussing Major Projects, the text concludes with Narrating Mathematics, a section making explicit what is implicit in the rest of the text: writing, speaking and thinking are all intertwined. By asking good questions and critiquing students manuscripts in an open, yet rigorous manner, instructors can get students at any level of ability and background to a deeper awareness of the beauty and power of mathematics.