Proving in the Elementary Mathematics Classroom

Although proving is core to mathematics as a sense-making activity, it currently has a marginal place in elementary classrooms internationally. Blending research with practical perspectives, this book addresses what it would take to elevate the place of proving at elementary school. The book uses classroom episodes from two countries to examine different kinds of proving tasks and the proving activity they can generate in the elementary classroom. It examines further the role of teachers in mediating the relationship between proving tasks and proving activity, including major mathematical and pedagogical issues that arise for teachers as they implement each kind of proving task. In addition to its contribution to research knowledge, the book has important implications for teaching, curricular resources, and teacher education.

Andreas J. Stylianides is a Reader in Mathematics Education at the University of Cambridge. Previously he held an academic fellowship at the University of Oxford and, before that, a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California-Berkeley. A Fulbright scholar, he received MSc degrees in mathematics and mathematics education, and then his PhD in mathematics education, at the University of Michigan. He was the Deputy Editor of the International Journal of Educational Research, and he has served on the editorial boards of Research in Mathematics Education and Science and Education. He received an American Educational Research Association publication award for his 2007 article "Proof and Proving in School Mathematics."