An ongoing consideration for educators is how to improve writing skills amongst their students, which becomes more complex when applied to the STEM classroom. In the words of Dr. Richard Warren, “Science is not an art, but there is an art to communicating science.”
Sound writing skills are essential in the STEM classroom at a secondary and higher education level, not just as a means of communication but as a tool for students to clarify and articulate their own thinking. The ability to convey ideas clearly and accurately is fundamental to success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Furthermore, it’s taking on new significance with the integration of generative AI tools like ChatGPT into education and student workflows that offer both opportunities and challenges for STEM learning.
In this blog, we explore practical strategies for improving student writing in the STEM classroom so that educators can foster original, evidence-based writing which empowers students to communicate their ideas with confidence, precision, and integrity.
Teaching writing skills for STEM: Who’s responsible?
A long-debated topic in education is who is responsible for teaching writing to students. Invariably, that task primarily falls on the shoulders of English educators, but as the practice of teaching has changed over time, that responsibility has creeped into other content areas.
While English educators cover the basics, teaching students how to write for specific content areas, like those in the STEM fields, is often required of the educators in those disciplines. We know that writing in the STEM classroom is different than in the English or social studies classrooms. Why, then, do we pretend that students should inherently know what to do from the instruction that is received in their English classes?
In order to address the scientific and technical skills associated with STEM writing, science and other STEM educators must teach writing in the context of their subject matter as well. There should be an emphasis on a process-oriented approach to writing instead of fixating on the final product; a need that has grown even more pressing in an era where generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, can assist students in creating text-based responses.
While these tools can help scaffold learning and ideation, they also pose challenges for educators seeking to ensure students develop their own writing - and thinking - skills separate from AI and demonstrate original, authentic understanding of STEM concepts. For some who may question whether teaching writing is a valuable use of time in their discipline, it’s important to remember that writing is also about thinking; it’s one of the primary ways that students can “make meaning” about new ideas and concepts, which is indispensable for students of any discipline, including STEM subjects.
So, how can you ensure that you are helping your students learn how to write for the situations that they will encounter in their STEM classes?
Strategies to support writing instruction in STEM subjects
Understanding how to improve writing skills in STEM means targeted instruction that addresses the demands of technical and scientific communication, along with assessment and grading best practice. By implementing the following strategies, educators can help students develop the communication skills needed to articulate their thinking effectively in STEM fields.
Use a rubric to guide STEM writing assignments
For each assignment that includes a writing component, ground your expectations in a standards-based rubric that you review with your students prior to the beginning of the assignment. This will allow you to clearly communicate those expectations and requirements to students as they begin to write. It will also allow students to continually monitor their progress according to those expectations.
When students know what is expected of them (and how they will be graded), they will be better equipped to deliver the product that you intended for them to create, which makes the learning objectives attached to that product more meaningful.
Given the extra guidance and structured support needed at the secondary school level to build foundational knowledge and skills, Turnitin’s team of educators has crafted three STEM-specific rubrics for writing within the classroom. This includes the 6th-8th Grade Science Argument (CER) and 9th-12th Grade Science Argument (CER) rubrics, which are intended to be used for longer argumentative pieces of writing, and the Science Short Answer rubric for short answer responses that still require the inclusion of a clear claim, evidence, and reasoning.
Teach students how to write for your content area
Remarking on the hurdles to engaging students with writing in STEM, Reynolds et al. (2012) describe the dilemma of “mov[ing] students from thinking about science as a collection of facts to be memorized toward a deeper understanding of concepts and scientific ways of thinking.”
It highlights the role of ‘writing to learn’ as a powerful tool to deepen STEM understanding and application, with Dr. Richard Warren suggesting that “technical research writing [in the STEM classroom] is pivotal in order to prove your research process and product. One must be able to do that clearly and concisely for both an academic audience and general population.” This type of writing in STEM classrooms can present many new challenges for students. While the basics of writing persist from subject to subject, students may get frustrated with the slight nuances that they are expected to recognize in different classes.
In your STEM classroom, students are likely required to use domain-specific vocabulary and formal, technical writing formats to communicate their ideas, both of which can be unfamiliar for many of them. But just as in any other class where specialized writing is required, it’s necessary for those new concepts to be explicitly taught and to provide time for students to practice them.
At Turnitin, we understand that teaching writing in different content areas is not uniform but varied, and want to help you foster writing growth in all content areas. Our veteran educators have curated some STEM-specific lesson starters in our 10 activities to practice writing in the STEM classroom resource that are great ways to incorporate more content area-specific writing instruction into your STEM classroom.
When students are able to spend targeted time practicing these new concepts and skills, they will be able to gain a new level of familiarity with them, thus strengthening their comfort in these writing situations and allowing them to demonstrate their expertise in the STEM content.
Include discipline-specific vocabulary work
Students need to be able to comprehend and apply the vocabulary that is used in the STEM fields, which means they must be given time to learn, study, and practice it. Part of what makes writing in the STEM classroom different from writing in other content areas is the terminology. Unfortunately, we know that just copying vocabulary words and their definitions into a notebook isn’t enough for most students to comprehend and internalize it, let alone utilize it within their writing. Give students multiple opportunities to put that vocabulary into use--have them speak it, write it, and listen to it daily. The more they integrate this vocabulary into the everyday situations of STEM class, the more effectively they will be able to incorporate it into their writing.
- Connect words to meaning: Use real-world examples, visuals, or demonstrations to illustrate how vocabulary terms apply to scientific or technical processes.
- Incorporate vocabulary into writing: Assign short, targeted writing tasks—like explanations, lab summaries, or reflections—that require students to use new terminology in context.
- Reinforce through repetition: Regularly revisit key terms in various activities so students encounter and apply vocabulary in multiple formats over time.
Provide targeted, content-focused feedback—not just grammar and spelling
Students will be able to better adjust their understanding of STEM concepts if they receive targeted feedback about the content of their ideas, not just grammar and spelling. Consider focusing on the STEM ideas of student writing, along with their overall focus, organization, and use of evidence. Evaluating how well students logically present their ideas, and guiding them towards a clearer progression from claim to evidence to reasoning can be daunting if you haven’t been formally trained to teach writing or provide feedback on student responses. Below are some tips to consider:
- Emphasize evidence use: Encourage students to support their arguments with relevant data, experiments, or research, and provide feedback on the strength and relevance of the evidence provided.
- Balance technical and conceptual feedback: While grammar and spelling matter, focus first on whether students' ideas reflect accurate STEM understanding and thoughtful problem-solving.
- Use targeted feedback tools: Leverage STEM-specific rubrics or digital tools like QuickMarks to provide precise, actionable comments tied to content understanding, not just writing mechanics.
Amid the evolution of STEM education and the push to integrate writing skills, AI’s potential for STEM teaching offers a transformative solution for grading. Consider that educators already face heavy workloads from grading complex problem sets, with time constraints, manual scoring inconsistencies, and large class sizes making timely, detailed feedback a challenge. Adding STEM-based writing assignments to the mix can feel overwhelming, creating reluctance to incorporate these essential skills.
AI-powered grading tools can help ease the burden by optimizing the grading process and enhancing accuracy and fairness; freeing up educators to focus more on teaching and student engagement. For example, AI-assisted answer grouping and horizontal grading by question functionality streamlines the evaluation of diverse assignment types and helps mitigate biases that can undermine traditional grading practices.
Technology’s enablement of formative assessment beneficial to improving STEM-based writing doesn’t stop there. We know that STEM subjects in particular rely on the legitimacy and flexibility of tried-and-true pen-and-paper methods for student assessment, however they’re not without their drawbacks. For those looking to retain paper-based instruction and assignments but gain the speed and precision of digital grading, Optimal Character Recognition (OCR) technology is proving a game changer—combining digital efficiency with pedagogy to elevate feedback opportunities.
Encourage revision
The very best way to help your students improve their writing skills in the STEM classroom is to encourage and allow ample time for revision. When paired with scoring on standards-aligned rubric and targeted, STEM-specific feedback, students can learn from their mistakes and hone their content area writing skills by revising their work. While this practice may take some additional class time, it will pay dividends in your students’ comprehension of subject area content and STEM-specific writing skills.
This focus on revision not only strengthens students' understanding and writing skills but also prepares them to navigate the evolving role of technology in learning. In a world where generative AI tools are becoming an inevitable aspect of student workflows, it’s also important to guide learners in critiquing and revising AI-generated content to develop and apply their uniquely human mastery.
- Highlight the learning value of revision: Remind students that writing and revision mirror the iterative process of scientific inquiry—testing, reflecting, and improving ideas. Revision is not just about ‘fixing’ mistakes; it’s about deepening comprehension, improving precision, and producing stronger work.
- Pair revision with targeted feedback: Combine revisions with STEM-specific feedback and scoring on a rubric. Feedback should focus on improving clarity, conceptual understanding, and use of evidence—not just surface-level corrections. This allows students to learn from their mistakes and make meaningful improvements.
- Revise AI-generated output: Encourage students to critically assess AI outputs, refine them for accuracy, and integrate their own insights. This helps students avoid over-reliance on AI and strengthens their ability to critically engage with STEM content.
Consider allowing students to resubmit revised drafts of their written responses and empowering them to take ownership of their writing through independent revision. We always tell our students that practice is the key to improvement, so let’s stand behind that adage and encourage them to revisit and revise all of their writing in the STEM classroom. Formative, tech-enabled tools that support transparency and revisions in the writing process, can, for instance, provide immediate, actionable feedback to students as they write. This process not only strengthens their ability to refine ideas and address feedback but also fosters self-regulation and metacognition—essential skills that enhance their understanding of both the writing process and the STEM concepts they are communicating.
Overview: Improving writing skills in STEM subjects
Recognizing how to improve writing skills in the STEM classroom is a priority for educators and institutions as STEM education evolves to equip students for future academic and professional success. While traditional writing principles can be carried forward for STEM-specific writing, faculty in STEM disciplines must take the lead in teaching domain-specific writing skills that bridge the gap.
It is essential for students to not only grasp technical knowledge but also develop the writing and communication skills necessary to convey complex ideas clearly and effectively. By adopting targeted strategies for writing instruction in STEM classrooms—such as harnessing rubrics, teaching discipline-specific writing techniques, providing targeted feedback and encouraging revision—educators can imbue students with the skills and confidence they need to develop STEM competencies over time and self-regulate their learning.
Educators, too, can be supported in their efforts through specialized technology and resources that reduce workloads and support instruction, to equip students with skills for an increasingly interdisciplinary and dynamic world.