PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2015
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Proof expectations of students: The effects on proof validation
Page: 252
In this study, we examined how fifteen prospective secondary mathematics teachers validated five different arguments purported to be proofs that the sum of the first n odd natural numbers is n2 in an interview setting. We also investigated the participants’ stated expectations for middle student proof work. Our participants had varying evaluation criteria when validating arguments, but largely focused on generality and proof form or appearance. The majority of our participants expected only the empirical argument to be given by a middle school student. This was also the argument fewest participants accepted as a proof. In general, our participants were less likely to expect an argument from middle school students if they accepted it as a proof. Further research is needed to examine how argumentation experiences during their teacher preparation program influence prospective teachers’ expectations of students’ abilities to produce appropriate arguments.