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ERIC Number: EJ1436905
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-739X
EISSN: EISSN-1464-5211
Mathematical Understanding and Ownership in Learning: Affordances of and Student Views on Templates for Proof-Writing
Sarah Klanderman; V. Rani Satyam
International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, v55 n9 p2249-2267 2024
For students taking higher level mathematics courses, the transition from computational to proof-based courses such as analysis and algebra not only introduces a new format of writing and communication, but also a new level of abstraction. This study examines the affordances of one particular tool to aid students in this transition: a proof template. We highlight four cases based on interviews conducted at two universities, both from transition-to-proof classes in which templates were explicitly used and not. Results indicate that when introduced to this tool, students viewed these templates favourably. Two detailed cases provide evidence that templates can contribute to deep understanding and student ownership of learning by deconstructing the template structures for themselves. In settings where explicit templates were not introduced, two cases address possible concerns with templates as well as demonstrate that students may be intuiting this structure. Our work provides evidence for the benefits of templates as a learning aid to struggling and strong students alike that does not reduce creativity in proving, along with students' appreciation of templates for structure and as guidelines to make sense of the increased abstraction required for proof-writing.
Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A