• School Mathematics
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.55-70
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to implement Lakatos method in the teaching and learning of geometry for middle school students. In his landmark book , Lakatos suggested the following instructional approach: an initial conjecture was produced, attempts were made to prove the conjecture, the proofs were repeatedly refuted by counterexamples, and finally more improved conjectures and refined proofs were suggested. In the study, students were selected from the high achieving students who participated in the special mathematics and science program offered by the city council of Seoul. The students were given a contradictory geometric proposition, and expected to find the cause of the fallacy. The students successfully identified the fallacy following the Lakatos method. In this process they also set up a primitive conjecture and this conjecture was justified by the proof and refutation method. Some implications were drawn from the result of the study.