“Effective writing assignments aim to immerse students in the discourse of a discipline and help them think as its members do.”
The Bedford Guide, pg. 8
WIP faculty will want to articulate:
“ways of knowing” that are unique to their disciplines—
—what counts as evidence
—what methods are used to ascertain that evidence
—how that evidence is “vetted” through scholarly dialogue
and how the case for that evidence is argued.
disciplinary conventions of writing that support those “ways of knowing”—
—organization
—format
—documentation styles
For example, to think like a scientist and to write like a scientist requires one to understand the purpose of a “materials and methods” section and the distinction between a “results” and a “discussion” section. To teach disciplinary conventions is to “make the language and culture of a discipline explicit.”
The Bedford Guide, pg. 9