Examining the Role of Logic in Teaching Proof

Abstract

Enhancing the teaching of mathematics in ways that support the development of students’ competence in argumentation and proof calls for increasing teachers’ awareness of the crucial role played by logical reasoning in proof. The chapter examines the relevance of, and interest in, teaching logic in order to foster competence with proof in the mathematics classroom. It reviews various positions on the role of logic in argumentation and proof, taking psychological studies into account, discusses these positions from an educational perspective, and offers some suggestions about how to modify curriculum to help students develop their logical reasoning abilities. A challenge for the future is to develop and implement the suggestions in research programmes.