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Abstract

Writing in the mathematics classroom has drawn the attention of many mathematics educators and mathematics education researches for the last two decades. Those educators and researchers point at the importance and advantages of integrating writing in the mathematics classroom. They say that writing is an alternative and better way to evaluate the learning and understanding of students; it enables teachers, through communicating with their students to evaluate where one or more students want help, and can later provide him (them) with that help; it also enables teachers to evaluate their teaching methods, and  to change those methods where required. Writing benefits students too. It makes them aware of their understanding of the subject matter and of their learning, so they become aware of their understanding (and so they can approach their teacher or other students in their class asking for help) and what a good learning method is for them and what method is for them and what method they should change.

This paper describes the importance of writing in the mathematics classroom and its various functions. It also describes the different types of the mathematical writing and gives examples on them. The paper points at important resources for mathematics teachers who in intend to integrate writing in their classrooms and at the conditions that should be fulfilled for an easy integration of writing in the mathematics classroom. At the end I point at possible research direction in this field.