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ERIC Number: EJ978135
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 2
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1326-0286
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Professor's Page: Why Reasoning?
Stacey, Kaye
Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, v17 n2 p16-17 2012
Reasoning is one of the proficiency strands of the new Australian Curriculum. It has always been important in mathematics and its importance has always been recognised in mathematics curricula across Australia. However, the new proficiency strand provides an opportunity for all teachers to reconsider how they teach this essential aspect of mathematics. There are many aspects to reasoning in mathematics, but this focuses on the reasoning that establishes why mathematical results are true. Mathematics is distinguished amongst the areas of human knowledge by the special way in which claims of what is true are justified. The assumptions (technically called axioms) and definitions are stated, and gradually, piece by piece, all other mathematical knowledge is built up using the rules for logical deduction. It is an enormously complex web, but the consequence is that mathematical results can be definitely proved. This is not true to nearly the same extent for any other subject. In this article, the author discusses how this fundamental characteristic of mathematics can be conveyed at school. (Contains 2 figures.)
Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (AAMT). Tel: +61-8-8363-0288; e-mail: office@aamt.edu.au; Web site: https://primarystandards.aamt.edu.au/Journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A