Full Description
Although proving is core to mathematics as a sense-making activity, it currently has a marginal place in elementary classrooms internationally. Blending research with practical perspectives, this book addresses what it would take to elevate the place of proving at elementary school.
The book uses classroom episodes from two countries to examine different kinds of proving tasks and the proving activity they can generate in the elementary classroom. It examines further the role of teachers in mediating the relationship between proving tasks and proving activity, including major mathematical and pedagogical issues that arise for teachers as they implement each kind of proving task. In addition to its contribution to research knowledge, the book has important implications for teaching, curricular resources, and teacher education.
Contents
1: Introduction
2: The importance and meaning of proving, and the role of mathematics tasks
3: The set-up of the investigation
4: Proving tasks with ambiguous conditions
5: Proving tasks involving a single case
6: Proving tasks involving multiple but finitely many cases
7: Proving tasks involving infinitely many cases
8: Conclusion
