*THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AS OPEN ACCESS BOOK ON SPRINGERLINK* One of the most significant tasks facing mathematics educators is to understand the role of mathematical reasoning and proving in mathematics teaching, so that its presence in instruction can be enhanced. This challenge has been given even greater importance by the assignment to proof of a more prominent place in the mathematics curriculum at all levels. Along with this renewed emphasis, there has been an upsurge in research on the teaching and learning of proof at all grade levels, leading to a re-examination of the role of proof in the curriculum and of its relation to other forms of explanation, illustration and justification. This book, resulting from the 19th ICMI Study, brings together a variety of viewpoints on issues such as: The potential role of reasoning and proof in deepening mathematical understanding in the classroom as it does in mathematical practice. The developmental nature of mathematical reasoning and proof in teaching and learning from the earliest grades. The development of suitable curriculum materials and teacher education programs to support the teaching of proof and proving. The book considers proof and proving as complex but foundational in mathematics. Through the systematic examination of recent research this volume offers new ideas aimed at enhancing the place of proof and proving in our classrooms.

Research on teaching and learning proof and proving has expanded in recent decades. This reflects the growth of mathematics education research in general, but also an increased emphasis on proof in mathematics education.

This book explores new trends and developments in mathematics education research related to proof and proving, the implications of these trends and developments for theory and practice, and directions for future research. With contributions from researchers working in twelve different countries, the book brings also an international perspective to the discussion and debate of the state of the art in this important area. The book is organized around the following four themes, which reflect the breadth of issues addressed in the book: • Theme 1: Epistemological issues related to proof and proving; • Theme 2: Classroom-based issues related to proof and proving; • Theme 3: Cognitive and curricular issues related to proof and proving; and • Theme 4: Issues related to the use of examples in proof and proving. Under each theme there are four main chapters and a concluding chapter offering a commentary on the theme overall.

In the four decades since Imre Lakatos declared mathematics a "quasi-empirical science," increasing attention has been paid to the process of proof and argumentation in the field -- a development paralleled by the rise of computer technology and the mounting interest in the logical underpinnings of mathematics. Explanantion and Proof in Mathematics assembles perspectives from mathematics education and from the philosophy and history of mathematics to strengthen mutual awareness and share recent findings and advances in their interrelated fields. With examples ranging from the geometrists of the 17th century and ancient Chinese algorithms to cognitive psychology and current educational practice, contributors explore the role of refutation in generating proofs, the varied links between experiment and deduction, the use of diagrammatic thinking in addition to pure logic, and the uses of proof in mathematics education (including a critique of "authoritative" versus "authoritarian" teaching styles). A sampling of the coverage: The conjoint origins of proof and theoretical physics in ancient Greece. Proof as bearers of mathematical knowledge. Bridging knowing and proving in mathematical reasoning. The role of mathematics in long-term cognitive development of reasoning. Proof as experiment in the work of Wittgenstein. Relationships between mathematical proof, problem-solving, and explanation. Explanation and Proof in Mathematics is certain to attract a wide range of readers, including mathematicians, mathematics education professionals, researchers, students, and philosophers and historians of mathematics.

ALAN J. BISHOP Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia RATIONALE Mathematics Education is becoming a well-documented field with many books, journals and international conferences focusing on a variety of aspects relating to theory, research and practice. That documentation also reflects the fact that the field has expanded enormously in the last twenty years. At the 8th International Congress on Mathematics Education (ICME) in Seville, Spain, for example, there were 26 specialist Working Groups and 26 special ist Topic Groups, as well as a host of other group activities. In 1950 the 'Commission Internationale pour I 'Etude et l' Amelioration de l'Enseignement des Mathematiques' (CIEAEM) was formed and twenty years ago another active group, the 'International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education' (PME), began at the third ICME at Karlsruhe in 1976. Since then several other specialist groups have been formed, and are also active through regular conferences and publications, as documented in Edward Jacobsen's Chapter 34 in this volume.

A Co-Publication of Routledge for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) In recent years there has been increased interest in the nature and role of proof in mathematics education; with many mathematics educators advocating that proof should be a central part of the mathematics education of students at all grade levels. This important new collection provides that much-needed forum for mathematics educators to articulate a connected K-16 "story" of proof. Such a story includes understanding how the forms of proof, including the nature of argumentation and justification as well as what counts as proof, evolve chronologically and cognitively and how curricula and instruction can support the development of students’ understanding of proof. Collectively these essays inform educators and researchers at different grade levels about the teaching and learning of proof at each level and, thus, help advance the design of further empirical and theoretical work in this area. By building and extending on existing research and by allowing a variety of voices from the field to be heard, Teaching and Learning Proof Across the Grades not only highlights the main ideas that have recently emerged on proof research, but also defines an agenda for future study.

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.

This third edition of the Handbook of International Research in Mathematics Education provides a comprehensive overview of the most recent theoretical and practical developments in the field of mathematics education. Authored by an array of internationally recognized scholars and edited by Lyn English and David Kirshner, this collection brings together overviews and advances in mathematics education research spanning established and emerging topics, diverse workplace and school environments, and globally representative research priorities. New perspectives are presented on a range of critical topics including embodied learning, the theory-practice divide, new developments in the early years, educating future mathematics education professors, problem solving in a 21st century curriculum, culture and mathematics learning, complex systems, critical analysis of design-based research, multimodal technologies, and e-textbooks. Comprised of 12 revised and 17 new chapters, this edition extends the Handbook’s original themes for international research in mathematics education and remains in the process a definitive resource for the field.

Since its establishment in 1976, PME (The International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education) is serving as a much sought after venue for scientific debate among those at the cutting edge of the field, as well as an engine for the development of research in mathematics education. A wide range of research activities conducted over the last ten years by PME members and their colleagues are documented and critically reviewed in this handbook, released to celebrate the Group’s 40 year anniversary milestone. The book is divided into four main sections: Cognitive aspects of learning and teaching content areas; Cognitive aspects of learning and teaching transverse areas; Social aspects of learning and teaching mathematics; and Professional aspects of teaching mathematics. The selection for each chapter of a team of at least two authors, mostly located in different parts of the world, ensured effective coverage of each field. High quality was further enhanced by the scrupulous review of early chapter drafts by two leaders in the relevant field. The resulting volume with its compilation of the most relevant aspects of research in the field, and its emphasis on trends and future developments, will be a rich and welcome resource for both mature and emerging researchers in mathematics education.

This book shows how the practice of script writing can be used both as a pedagogical approach and as a research tool in mathematics education. It provides an opportunity for script-writers to articulate their mathematical arguments and/or their pedagogical approaches. It further provides researchers with a corpus of narratives that can be analyzed using a variety of theoretical perspectives. Various chapters argue for the use of dialogical method and highlight its benefits and special features. The chapters examine both “low tech” implementations as well as the use of a technological platform, LessonSketch. The chapters present results of and insights from several recent studies, which utilized scripting in mathematics education research and practice.