Algebra and Proof in High School: The Case of Algebraic Proof as Discovery

Abstract

In the United States, students’ learning experiences around proof is generally concentrated in the domain of high school geometry with a focus on its verification function. Thus, providing students with a limited conception of what proof entails and the role that it plays in performing mathematics. Moreover, there is a lack of U.S.-based studies addressing how to integrate proof into other mathematical domains within the high school curriculum. In this paper, the author reports results from an interview at the end of a teaching experiment which was designed to integrate algebra and proof into the high school curriculum. Algebraic proof was envisioned as the vehicle that would provide high school students the opportunity to learn about proof in a context other than geometry. Results indicate that most students were able to produce an algebraic proof involving variables and a parameter and its multiples. In doing so, students experienced the discovery function of proof.