• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.101-116
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to survey mathematics teacher's cognition of proof along with their proof forms of expression and proof ability, and to explore the relationship between their proof scheme and teaching practice. This study shows that mathematics teachers tend to regard proof as a deduction from assumption to conclusion and that they prefer formal proof with mathematical symbols. Mathematics teachers also recognize that prof is an important area in school mathematics but they reveal poor understanding of teaching methods of proof. Teachers tend to depend on the proof style employed in mathematics textbooks. This study demonstrates that a proof scheme is a major factor of determining the teaching method of proof.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.185-206
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• 2009

In the study, I conducted the teaching experiment designed to instruct proof to four 7th grade students by utilizing the analysis method. As the results of this study I could identified that it is effective to teach and learn to find proof methods using the analysis. The results of the study showed that four 7th grade students succeeded in finding the proof methods by utilizing the analysis and representing the proof after 15 hours of the teaching experiment. In addition to the difficulties that students faced in learning proof utilizing the analysis were related to the search for the light conditions for triangles to be congruent, symbolic representation of the proof methods, reinterpretation of drawings given in the proof problems.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.441-466
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• 2011

In this article, we study on the teaching design, focused on the geometric methods, of 2-D isoperimetric problem for the elementary mathematically gifted students. For our teaching design, we discussed the ideals of Zenodorus's polygon proof, Steiner's four-hinge proof, Steiner's mean boundary proof, Steiner's snowball-packing proof, Edler's finite existence proof and Lawlor's dissection proof, and then the ideals achieved were modified with the theoretical backgrounds-the theory of Freudenthal's mathematisation, the method of analysis-synthesis. We expect that this article would contribute to the elementary mathematically gifted students to acquire and to improve spatial sense.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.73-85
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• 1998

The purpose of this study is to investigate the understanding of middle school students on the meaning of proof and to suggest a teaching method to improve their understanding based on three levels identified by Kunimune as follows: Level I to think that experimental method is enough for justifying proof, Level II to think that deductive method is necessary for justifying proof, Level III to understand the meaning of deductive system. The conclusions of this study are as follows: First, only 13% of 8th graders and 22% of 9th graders are on level II. Second, although about 50% students understand the meaning of hypothesis, conclusion, and proof, they can't understand the necessity of deductive proof. This conclusion implies that the necessity of deductive proof needs to be taught to the middle school students. One of the teaching methods on the necessity of proof is to compare the nature of experimental method and deductive proof method by providing their weak and strong points respectively.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 1998

This paper investigates the practices of proof education in Korea by analyzing the teaching and learning of proofs in classes in the second year of middle school. With this purpose, this study examines the features and deficiencies of the ways of teaching proofs and investigates the difficulties which students have in learning them. Furthermore, it suggests methods for the improvement of teaching proofs.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.217-233
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to describe how dynamic geometry systems can be useful in proof activity; teaching sequences based on the use of dynamic geometry systems and to analyze the possible roles of dynamic geometry systems in both teaching and learning of proof. And also dynamic geometry environments can generate powerful interplay between empirical explorations and formal proofs. The point of this study was to show that how using dynamic geometry software can provide an opportunity to link between empirical and deductive reasoning, and how such software can be utilized to gain insight into a deductive argument.

• School Mathematics
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.347-360
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• 2002

This study analyzed the mathematical and didactical contexts of the Euclid's proof about Pythagorean theorem and compared with the teaching methods about Pythagorean theorem in school mathematics. Euclid's proof about Pythagorean theorem which does not use the algebraic methods provide students with the spatial intuition and the geometric thinking in school mathematics. Furthermore, it relates to various mathematical concepts including the cosine rule, the rotation, and the transfor-mation which preserve the area, and so forth. Visual demonstrations can help students analyze and explain mathematical relationship. Compared with Euclid's proof, Algebraic proof about Pythagorean theorem is very simple and it supplies the typical example which can give the relationship between algebraic and geometric representation. However since it does not include various spatial contexts, it forbid many students to understand Pythagorean theorem intuitively. Since both approaches have positive and negative aspects, reciprocal complementary role is required in pedagogical aspects.

• School Mathematics
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.59-90
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• 2004

This study has been established with two purposes. The first one is to development the learning-teaching model for enhancing students' creative proof capacities in the domain of demonstrative geometry as subject content. The second one is to aim at experimentally testing its effectiveness. First, we develop the learning-teaching model for enhancing students' proof capacities. This model is named the generative-convergent model based instruction. It consists of the following components: warming-up activities, generative activities, convergent activities, reflective discussion, other high quality resources etc. Second, to investigate the effects of the generative-convergent model based instruction, 160 8th-grade students are selected and are assigned to experimental and control groups. We focused that the generative-convergent model based instruction would be more effective than the traditional teaching method for improving middle school students' proof-writing capacities and error remediation. In conclusion, the generative-convergent model based instruction would be useful for improving middle grade students' proof-writing capacities. We suggest the following: first, it is required to refine the generative-convergent model for enhancing proof-problem solving capacities; second, it is also required to develop teaching materials in the generative-convergent model based instruction.

• The Mathematical Education
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.139-163
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• 2024

The purpose of this study is to examine the capabilities of ChatGPT as a tool for supporting students in generating mathematical arguments that can be considered proofs. To examine this, we engaged students enrolled in a mathematics pathways course in evaluating and revising their original arguments using ChatGPT feedback. Students attempted to find and prove a method for the area of a triangle given its side lengths. Instead of directly asking students to prove a formula, we asked them to explore a method to find the area of a triangle given the lengths of its sides and justify why their methods work. Students completed these ChatGPT-embedded proving activities as class homework. To investigate the capabilities of ChatGPT as a proof tutor, we used these student homework responses as data for this study. We analyzed and compared original and revised arguments students constructed with and without ChatGPT assistance. We also analyzed student-written responses about their perspectives on mathematical proof and proving and their thoughts on using ChatGPT as a proof assistant. Our analysis shows that our participants' approaches to constructing, evaluating, and revising their arguments aligned with their perspectives on proof and proving. They saw ChatGPT's evaluations of their arguments as similar to how they usually evaluate arguments of themselves and others. Mostly, they agreed with ChatGPT's suggestions to make their original arguments more proof-like. They, therefore, revised their original arguments following ChatGPT's suggestions, focusing on improving clarity, providing additional justifications, and showing the generality of their arguments. Further investigation is needed to explore how ChatGPT can be effectively used as a tool in teaching and learning mathematical proof and proof-writing.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.227-239
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• 2011

The circumcenter of a triangle is introduced in logic geometry part of 8th grade mathematics. To handle certain characteristics of a figure through mathematical proof may involve considerable difficulty, and many students have greater difficulties especially in learning textbook's methods of proving propositions about circumcenter of a triangle. This study compares the methods how the circumcenter of a triangle is explored among the Elements of Euclid, a classic of logic geometry, current textbooks of USA and those of Korea. As a result of it, this study tries to abstract some significant implications on teaching the circumcenter of a triangle.