Title
Preservice secondary mathematics teachers' perceptions of proof in the secondary mathematics classroom
Publication Details
Lesseig, K., Hine, G., & Boardman, K. (2018). Preservice secondary mathematics teachers' perceptions of proof in the secondary mathematics classroom. Fortieth Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education [PMENA 2018].
Abstract
Despite the recognized importance of mathematical proof in secondary education, there is a limited but growing body of literature indicating how preservice secondary mathematics teachers (PSMTs) view proof and the teaching of proof. The purpose of this survey research was to investigate how PSMTs in Australia and the United States perceive of proof in the context of secondary mathematics teaching and learning. PSMTs were able to outline various mathematical and pedagogical aspects of proof, including: purposes, characteristics, reasons for teaching, and imposed constraints. In addition, PSMTs attended to differing, though overlapping, features of proof when asked to determine the extent to which proposed arguments constituted proofs or to decide which arguments they might present to students.
Keywords
reasoning and proof, teacher education-preservice, mathematical knowledge for teaching, high school education