PROCEEDINGS OF THE 15TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 2)
2012
Portland, Oregon
Improving Undergraduate Novice Proof-Writing: Investigating the Use of Multiple Drafts
Page: 2-556
Because proof-writing involves both understanding mathematical ideas related to the theorem, as well as structural norms of formal proofs, we hypothesized that students could improve both content and structure of their proofs using the drafting techniques common to English Composition research. Our research question is, “Does proof revision lead to improved proof- writing skills?” The intervention group revised their proofs and turned in up to three drafts of each formal proof. This pilot led to the development of a coding tool to categorize the types of student individual errors. In this proposal, we share the coding tool as well as the ongoing analysis of two sets of Linear Algebra student proofs. Preliminary results suggest the drafting group engaged with the work more often than the control group during the semester and on the final, while the control students were more likely to skip proofs rather than attempt them.