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ERIC Number: EJ1073036
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Oct
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1954
EISSN: N/A
Classroom Engagement towards Using Definitions for Developing Mathematical Objects: The Case of Function
Tabach, Michal; Nachlieli, Talli
Educational Studies in Mathematics, v90 n2 p163-187 Oct 2015
For mathematicians, definitions are the ultimate tool for reaching agreement about the nature and properties of mathematical objects. As research in school mathematics has revealed, however, mathematics learners are often reluctant, perhaps even unable, to help themselves with definitions while categorizing mathematical objects. In the research from which we take the data presented in this article, we have been following a group of prospective mathematics teachers studying functions. In the course of learning, the students gradually accepted the definition as the ultimate criterion to identify examples of function. And yet, this use was hindered by the difficulty the students experienced while trying to understand the logical structure of the definition. Our close analysis has shown that the determiners "for every" and "unique" constituted the main source of the difficulty. We propose that a brief introduction to logic and, in particular, to parsing complex mathematical sentences, may be a useful addition to mathematics curriculum.
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A