Writing Intensive Courses for Prospective Elementary Teachers

Sybilla Beckmann and Tawanda Gwena

University of Georgia

Newly developed mathematics courses for prospective elementary teachers at the University of Georgia (UGA) emphasize the writing of explanations.  Prospective teachers explain why the standard procedures and formulas of elementary mathematics are valid, why non-standard methods can also be valid, and why other seemingly plausible ways of reasoning are not correct. This emphasis on writing and explaining made these courses perfect candidates for the Writing Intensive Program in the College of Arts and Sciences at UGA. The Writing Intensive Program was designed to encourage writing in the disciplines, and to emphasize writing as a way of thinking, learning, and teaching.

The paper will describe writing assignments for prospective elementary teachers, and outcomes of these writing assignments. As part of the Writing Intensive Program, we learned that it is valuable not only to give assignments asking students to produce polished writing, but also to give assignments in which students write informally, using their writing to develop their thinking. Some writing assignments asked students to consolidate their thinking on specific content.

For example:

Write a 3 - 4 page essay on the concept of area. Use your writing as a way to develop and consolidate your thinking. Address the following points in your essay:

· What is area? What is the most basic information we need to know about area? How is area different from volume?

· Does it only make sense to talk about areas of flat shapes in a plane, or is it possible to talk about the area of an object that takes up space? If so, give a specific example; determine its area, explaining your method.

· Address one other significant point or question about the concept of area (of your choosing). Your essay will be scored for its clarity, accuracy, and depth of analysis.

Another type of assignment asked students to use writing to improve their understanding of material on an upcoming test. An introductory assignment asked students to critique their own first draft in light of the specific grading criteria. Grading criteria for different types of assignments will be given.

The second author will describe his training as a Writing Intensive Program teaching assistant, and how this training has helped him promote student learning.