PROCEEDINGS OF THE 21ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2018
San Diego, California
How Diagrams are Leveraged in Introduction to Proof Textbooks
Page: 1676
According to research, diagrams can play a vital role in the constructing and understanding of proofs (Samkoff, Lai, & Weber, 2012). Introduction to Proof (ITP) courses are usually a student’s first exposure to proofs. Therefore, the ITP curriculum reflects important opportunities for students to develop proof construction and proof understanding skills. We analyzed how diagrams were presented in the top four market share ITP textbooks across a set of standard topics. Through this process, we categorized the role and nature of diagrams in the curricula. We found that a majority of diagrams were used to illustrate statements and definitions. Other important roles such as supporting proof construction, building conjectures, or finding counterexamples were infrequent.