• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.101-116
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to survey mathematics teacher's cognition of proof along with their proof forms of expression and proof ability, and to explore the relationship between their proof scheme and teaching practice. This study shows that mathematics teachers tend to regard proof as a deduction from assumption to conclusion and that they prefer formal proof with mathematical symbols. Mathematics teachers also recognize that prof is an important area in school mathematics but they reveal poor understanding of teaching methods of proof. Teachers tend to depend on the proof style employed in mathematics textbooks. This study demonstrates that a proof scheme is a major factor of determining the teaching method of proof.

• School Mathematics
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.401-420
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• 2003

We have many problems in the teaching and learning of proof, especially in the demonstrative geometry of middle school mathematics introducing the proof for the first time. Above all, it is the serious problem that many students do not understand the meaning of proof. In this paper we intend to show that teaching the meaning of proof in terms of historic-genetic approach will be a method to improve the way of teaching proof. We investigate the development of proof which goes through three stages such as experimental, intuitional, and scientific stage as well as the development of geometry up to the completion of Euclid's Elements as Bran-ford set out, and analyze the teaching process for the purpose of looking for the way of improving the way of teaching proof through the historic-genetic approach. We conducted lessons about the angle-sum property of triangle in accordance with these three stages to the students of seventh grade. We show that the students will understand the meaning of proof meaningfully and properly through the historic-genetic approach.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.143-156
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• 2008

In this study, we divided the teaching and learning of proof into three steps in the demonstrative geometry of the middle school mathematics. And then we surveyed the student's difficulties in the teaching and learning of proof by using of questionnaire. Results of this survey suggest that students cannot only understand the meaning of proof in the teaching and learning of proof but also they cannot deduce simple mathematical reasoning as judgement for the truth of propositions. Moreover, they cannot follow the hypothesis to a conclusion of the proposition It results from the fact that students cannot understand clearly the meaning and the role of hypotheses and conclusions of propositions. So we need to focus more on teaching students about the meaning and role of hypotheses and conclusions of propositions.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.441-466
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• 2011

In this article, we study on the teaching design, focused on the geometric methods, of 2-D isoperimetric problem for the elementary mathematically gifted students. For our teaching design, we discussed the ideals of Zenodorus's polygon proof, Steiner's four-hinge proof, Steiner's mean boundary proof, Steiner's snowball-packing proof, Edler's finite existence proof and Lawlor's dissection proof, and then the ideals achieved were modified with the theoretical backgrounds-the theory of Freudenthal's mathematisation, the method of analysis-synthesis. We expect that this article would contribute to the elementary mathematically gifted students to acquire and to improve spatial sense.

• Education of Primary School Mathematics
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.63-73
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• 2000

The purpose of this paper is to address He possibility of the teaching of 'proof' in elementary mathematics, on the assumption that proof in school mathematics should be used in the broader, psychological sense of justification rather than in the narrow sense of deductive, formal proof. 'Proof' has not been taught in elementary mathematics, traditionally. Most students have had little exposure to the ideas of proof before the geometry. However, 'Proof' cannot simply be taught in a single unit. Rather, proof must be a consistent part of students' mathematical experience in all grades. Or educators and mathematicians need to rethink the nature of mathematical proof and give appropriate consideration to the different types of proof related to the cognitive development of a notion of proof.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.185-206
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• 2009

In the study, I conducted the teaching experiment designed to instruct proof to four 7th grade students by utilizing the analysis method. As the results of this study I could identified that it is effective to teach and learn to find proof methods using the analysis. The results of the study showed that four 7th grade students succeeded in finding the proof methods by utilizing the analysis and representing the proof after 15 hours of the teaching experiment. In addition to the difficulties that students faced in learning proof utilizing the analysis were related to the search for the light conditions for triangles to be congruent, symbolic representation of the proof methods, reinterpretation of drawings given in the proof problems.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.73-85
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• 1998

The purpose of this study is to investigate the understanding of middle school students on the meaning of proof and to suggest a teaching method to improve their understanding based on three levels identified by Kunimune as follows: Level I to think that experimental method is enough for justifying proof, Level II to think that deductive method is necessary for justifying proof, Level III to understand the meaning of deductive system. The conclusions of this study are as follows: First, only 13% of 8th graders and 22% of 9th graders are on level II. Second, although about 50% students understand the meaning of hypothesis, conclusion, and proof, they can't understand the necessity of deductive proof. This conclusion implies that the necessity of deductive proof needs to be taught to the middle school students. One of the teaching methods on the necessity of proof is to compare the nature of experimental method and deductive proof method by providing their weak and strong points respectively.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.215-227
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• 2000

This study is on the differences of the functions of definitions between in proof geometry and in intuitional geometry. There are the functions of definitions in intuitional geometry which may connect to those in proof geometry. We assert that when we teach them, we should be careful, for the teaching of the functions of definitions in proof.

• School Mathematics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.297-313
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• 2012

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential and to examine the effect of narrative, as an alternative approach to teach formal proof in more easier and comprehensible way. Identifying the key elements of narrative in proof, we constructed a narrative that derives the equation of function translation. We examined the effect of teaching through the narrative, in comparison with teaching the corresponding proof, on low-achieving students' instrumental understanding and relational understanding of function translation. Since we found no statistically significant differences between the experimental and the comparison group, this study could not conclude that teaching through the narrative was more effective than teaching the corresponding proof. But there were some qualitative differences in the relational understanding responses and the evaluation of the teaching between two groups. These findings suggested some potential of narratives that complement the formal proof.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.291-298
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• 1998

This study deals with the problem of proof education in the middle school geometry bby examining van Hiele#s geometric thought level theory and Freudenthal#s mathematization teaching theory. The implications that have been revealed by examining the theory of van Hie이 and Freudenthal are as follows. First of all, the proof education at present that follows the order of #definition-theorem-proof#should be reconsidered. This order of proof-teaching may have the danger that fix the proof education poorly and formally by imposing the ready-made mathematics as the mere record of proof on students rather than suggesting the proof as the real thought activity. Hence we should encourage students in reinventing #proving#as the means of organization and mathematization. Second, proof-learning can not start by introducing the term of proof only. We should recognize proof-learning as a gradual process which forms with understanding the meaning of proof on the basic of the various activities, such as observation of geometric figures, analysis of the properties of geometric figures and construction of the relationship among those properties. Moreover students should be given this natural ground of proof.