The
Value Of Writing Assignments In History Of Mathematics And
Writing about mathematics is an important way to "do" mathematics. Naturally writing mathematics includes theorem proving and problem solving, but writing can also incorporate many other key aspects of learning. In my History of Mathematics course writing is an essential ingredient in the course incorporating weekly response papers, two research papers and presentations on a mathematician or area of mathematics, and a final time line project. In my Combinatorics class students work together in small groups, present their work to the class, and then write up all the results of the semester in a comprehensive portfolio. In both classes, writing is an essential ingredient which forces students to learn the material well, think cogently, express themselves clearly, and helps tremendously in their retention of the material. In this talk I will include some samples of my students' work.