PROCEEDINGS OF THE 16TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 2)
2013
Denver, Colorado
The Merits of Collaboration Between Mathematicians and Mathematics Educators on the Design and Implementation of an Undergraduate Course on Mathematical Proof and Proving
Page: 2-307
The goal of our study was to characterize the processes and to identify the ways in which different kinds of expertise (mathematics vs. mathematics education) unfolded in the planning and teaching of an undergraduate course on Mathematical Proof and Proving (MPP), which was co-taught by a professor of mathematics and a professor of mathematics education. The content of the course consisted of topics that were supposed to be familiar to the students, i.e., high school level algebra, geometry, and basic number theory. In particular, we looked at a case study describing the design and implementation of a particular task in order to help understand an instance in which each professor’s expertise contributed to the course and complemented the other. The findings indicate that by co-teaching and constantly reflecting on their thinking and teaching, the instructors became aware of the added value of working together and the unique contribution each one had.