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Month: October 2013

Dr. Keith Weber Colloquium Announcement

Keith Weber Announcement

For our second colloquium talk, we will have Dr. Keith Weber from Rutgers University.

Proof Comprehension in Advanced Mathematics
Thursday, October 17th; 3:00-4:00 PM, Aderhold _____

In advanced mathematics courses, students spend a substantial amount of time reading propositions and their proofs. Yet research suggests that students often learn little from reading these proofs. In this presentation, I address four questions about students’ reading of mathematical proof: (1) Why do students have so much difficulty understanding a proof? (2) What does it mean to understand a proof and how can this understanding be assessed? (3) What strategies should students use when reading a proof to facilitate comprehension? (4) What beliefs do students hold about their responsibilities in proof reading? These questions are addressed using qualitative and quantitative data. Initially task-based interviews with students and interviews with mathematicians were used to generate hypotheses about what students should do, but do not do, when reading a proof. A survey was then used to demonstrate statistically reliable differences in mathematics majors’ approaches to proof reading and the approaches that mathematicians would like them to take.