Introduction to Audience and Genre

Objective: Students will understand the different contexts in which they might write (about) mathematics, including the different audiences they might write to, and the different genres they might write in.

Key Terms: Audience. Genre.

Timing: These lessons would be most useful at the beginning of a class in which students will be expected to write to different audiences and/or in different genres.

Lesson

Part I: Genre

  1. Discuss the concept of genre, in general, with your students. Provide examples of different genres of writing in a non-mathematical context (eg fiction, nonfiction, memoir, graphic novel, journalism, etc.). 
  2. Put the students into groups. 
  3. Ask the groups to come up with examples of different types of mathematical writing. 
  4. Ask each group to share their examples with the class, and as they do so compile a list of all of the examples on the board. Possibly add examples that you are aware of to the list if they were not suggested by the students. (Examples in the context of mathematics include exposition, textbook writing, writing on the board, writing in an exam, theses, slides for a talk, research articles, blog posts, social media posts, personal reflections, etc.)

Part II: Audience

  1. Discuss the concept of audience, in general, with your students. Provide examples of different audiences in a non-mathematical context (eg writing to experts in a scientific journal, writing to an educated but non-expert audience for a newspaper, etc.). 
  2. Consider doing this right after the above lesson, and keep the students in the same groups. 
  3. For each of the genres that are now listed on the board, ask the groups to determine who the audience is in that genre. 
  4. If you are not doing this lesson right after the above, you can first put the students into groups and provide them with a list of genres that you have come up with in advance.
  5. Ask each group to share their thoughts, and as they do so write the audience(s) that corresponds to each item in the list of genres. 

Part III: Models of different genres

  1. Pick one of the genres that you are expecting your students to write in. 
  2. Compile a collection of examples of writing in that genre. For example, if you are assigning an expository essay, you could come up with some examples of exposition that are intended for a general audience (ie essays in the NYTimes), and you could also come up with examples that are intended for a mathematical audience (ie pieces in the AMS Notices or the MAA Mathematics Magazine). Similarly, if you are assigning proof writing, you could give your students examples of proofs that are relevant to content of your course, beyond just proofs in the book you are using. This could be an opportunity to discuss the range of styles that a proof can take, while still being successful proofs. 
  3. Assign these models to your students to read. That reading could take place during class time, or outside of class time. You could space them out, for example reading one each week. 
  4. Decide if you would like the students to discuss the models in groups, and/or if you would like them to write a short reflection on what they have read. If using groups, you can use one of the above group frameworks to facilitate discussion. If using reflections, decide on how you would like students to submit these (eg Blackboard, Google form).
  5. Consider synthesizing student comments on the models during class time, either at the end of the group discussion, or after the students have all submitted their individual reflections.