Proving in the Elementary Mathematics Classroom

by Andreas J. Stylianides

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198723066
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/21/2016
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Andreas J. Stylianides is a Reader in Mathematics Education at the University of Cambridge. Previously he held an academic fellowship at the University of Oxford and, before that, a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California-Berkeley. A Fulbright scholar, he received MSc degrees in mathematics and mathematics education, and then his PhD in mathematics education, at the University of Michigan. He was the Deputy Editor of the International Journal of Educational Research, and he has served on the editorial boards of Research in Mathematics Education and Science and Education. He received an American Educational Research Association publication award for his 2007 article "Proof and Proving in School Mathematics."

Table of Contents

1. Introduction2. The importance and meaning of proving, and the role of mathematics tasks3. The set-up of the investigation4. Proving tasks with ambiguous conditions5. Proving tasks involving a single case6. Proving tasks involving multiple but finitely many cases7. Proving tasks involving infinitely many cases8. Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

"...a coherent approach to proof and proving in the elementary mathematics classroom, including a framework for conceptualising mathematical proof and proving activities, a categorisation of tasks that may be linked with qualitative different opportunities for the students to be engaged in proof and proving, and a discussion about the role of the teacher. Importantly, [the author] orchestrates the theoretical discussion of these topics with a well-structured analysis of illustrative examples... "Proving in the Elementary Mathematics Classroom", at the very least, opens a fascinating discussion about explicitly communicating and practising that proof is taught and learned within the elementary mathematics classroom." — Andreas Moutsios-Rentzos, Educational Studies in Mathematics

"[F]or many dedicated primary teachers who want to understand and want their pupils to understand, [the book] is a great start to the concept of proof." — Mathematics in School

"Anyone teaching a methods course for preservice elementary teachers would find this book a good source of proving tasks/activities, together with actual children's words and work" — Annie Selden, MAA Reviews

From the Publisher