This qualitative study surveyed 102 differential-equations students in order to investigate how students participating in writing projects in university-level mathematics courses perceive the benefits of writing in the mathematics classroom. Based on previous literature on writing in mathematics, students were asked specifically about the benefits…

Teaching scientific writing in biology classes is challenging for both students and instructors. This article offers and reviews several useful "toolkit" items that improve student writing. These include sentence and paper-length templates, funnelling and compartmentalisation, and preparing compendiums of corrections. In addition,…

If students are to accurately model how scientists use written communication, they must be given opportunities to use creative means to describe science in the classroom. Scientists often integrate pictures, diagrams, charts, and other modes within text and students should also be encouraged to use multiple modes of communication. This article…

Offers four reasons for using the case approach in introductory technical writing courses and a sequence of six cases that can be used. (RL)

Uses a single language system--technical description--to illustrate how language systems can now be used as the basis for instruction in technical writing. Provides sample exercises in progressive teaching from simple description to complex continuity devices, showing how they can be used at all stages of the writing process. (HTH)

Suggests assigning interview reports to students in order to avoid the problem of lack of teacher expertise on a technical topic. Discusses various formats for this kind of report and ways to implement the interview report. (SRT)

Suggests assigning students a spontaneous "how-to" paper the first day of class to clarify the need for audience and purpose considerations. (HTH)

Describes typical sentence, paragraph, and discourse level sentence combining exercises using material appropriate for technical writers. (HTH)

The author uses a hypothetical contest situation to generate student interest in collecting, evaluating, and organizing information. (RL)

Describes the use of cases in technical writing and ancient exercises of impersonation and "suasoria." Discusses similarities between the two, and argues that the historical tradition both validates and broadens the uses of this modern methodology. (RS)

Notes that students new to technical writing frequently have difficulty grasping the essentiality of technical definitions and learning how to create appropriate definitions. Suggests that exercises centered around a term that is lapsing into obsolescence offer some productive solutions to this common instructional problem. (RS)

Suggests the use of driving directions to help two-year college students understand how the rhetorical principles learned in freshman composition apply to technical writing, and to render the concept of "technical writing" less threatening to the uninitiated students. (HTH)

Describes the rhetorical markers and format characteristic of all published brochures. Discusses a rationale and specific strategy for teaching the brochure. (HTH)