ERIC Number: EJ1489386
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0228-0671
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Can Consuming Mathematics Be Compatible with Inquiry?
Kathleen Melhuish; Cody L. Patterson; Paul C. Dawkins
For the Learning of Mathematics, v45 n3 p9-13 2025
Inquiry-based instruction in undergraduate mathematics is commonly characterized by students producing mathematical content (e.g., definitions, theorems, or proofs) rather than consuming it. In this paper, we argue that a production-centered view of inquiry is unnecessarily restrictive and limits the full range of disciplinary activity available to students. Drawing on Dewey's notion of inquiry as transformation, we propose a broader definition of inquiry that centers on students' use of disciplinary tools to bring clarity and coherence to unfamiliar or opaque mathematical objects, including existing proofs. We demonstrate how this lens both encompasses established inquiry models but also allows for different types of inquiry that do not rely on production but rather critical consumption. We share examples of students engaging in proof comprehension for the purpose of inquiring into general proof structures and for the purpose of inquiring into the concepts and relationships embedded in a specific complex theorem and proof. We suggest both researchers and instructors reflect on their views of inquiry and consider broader approaches.
Descriptors: Inquiry, Active Learning, Mathematics Instruction, College Mathematics, Mathematical Logic, Validity, Undergraduate Students
FLM Publishing Association. 382 Education South, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G5, Canada. e-mail: flm2@ualberta.ca; Web site: https://flm-journal.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 18365590; 1954768; 1954613
Author Affiliations: N/A

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