Bridging knowing and proving in mathematics: A didactical perspective

DOI10.1007/978-1-4419-0576-5_9zbMATH Open1196.00022arXiv1403.6926OpenAlexW3104955836MaRDI QIDQ3586367FDOQ3586367

Authors: Nicolas Balacheff 

Publication date: 6 September 2010

Published in: Explanation and Proof in Mathematics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Abstract: The learning of mathematics starts early but remains far from any theoretical considerations: pupils' mathematical knowledge is first rooted in pragmatic evidence or conforms to procedures taught. However, learners develop a knowledge which they can apply in significant problem situations, and which is amenable to falsification and argumentation. They can validate what they claim to be true but using means generally not conforming to mathematical standards. Here, I analyze how this situation underlies the epistemological and didactical complexities of teaching mathematical proof. I show that the evolution of the learners' understanding of what counts as proof in mathematics implies an evolution of their knowing of mathematical concepts. The key didactical point is not to persuade learners to accept a new formalism but to have them understand how mathematical proof and statements are tightly related within a common framework; that is, a mathematical theory. I address this aim by modeling the learners' way of knowing in terms of a dynamic, homeostatic system. I discuss the roles of different semiotic systems, of the types of actions the learners perform and of the controls they implement in constructing or validating knowledge. Particularly with modern technological aids, this model provides a basis designing didactical situations to help learners bridge the gap between pragmatics and theory.

Full work available at URL: https://arxiv.org/abs/1403.6926

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Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Methodology of mathematics (00A35) Philosophy of mathematics (00A30) Philosophy and mathematics (educational aspects) (97E20)

Cited In (4)

• Proofs, semiotics and artefacts of information technologies
• Mathematical problem solving in support of the curriculum?
• Conceptions of Proof – In Research and Teaching
• Historical artefacts, semiotic mediation and teaching proof

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