Gila Hanna – författare

THE REAL WORLD OF MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION In this Preface, I would like to focus on what I mean by “education” and speak about the models and metaphors that are used when people talk, write, and act in the domain of education. We need to look at the assu- tions and processes that the models and metaphors implicitly and explicitly contain. I feel we should explore whether there is a specific thrust to mat- matics education in the here and now, and be very practical about it. For me education is the enhancement of knowledge and understanding, and there is a strong and unbreakable link between the two. There seems l- tle point in acquiring knowledge without understanding its meaning. Nor is it enough to gain a deep understanding of problems without gaining the appropriate knowledge to work for their solution. Thus knowledge and understanding are each necessary conditions for the process of education, but only when they are linked will the process bear fruit. Only in the b- anced interplay of knowledge and understanding can we expect to achieve genuine education.

Presenting articles that develop further issues pertaining to gender equity in mathematics education, this volume's premise - that there is no physical or intellectual barrier to the participation of women in mathematics, science, and technology - provides the starting point for analysis and discussion. The authors explore the attitudinal and societal/structural reasons for the gender imbalance in these fields and look at areas for change, including curriculum and assessment practices, classroom and school cultures, and teacher education programs. A major part of the book comprises a series of detailed descriptive studies of education systems across the world from the perspective of mathematics and gender equity issues.

Presenting articles that develop further issues pertaining to gender equity in mathematics education, this volume's premise - that there is no physical or intellectual barrier to the participation of women in mathematics, science, and technology - provides the starting point for analysis and discussion. The authors explore the attitudinal and societal/structural reasons for the gender imbalance in these fields and look at areas for change, including curriculum and assessment practices, classroom and school cultures, and teacher education programs. A major part of the book comprises a series of detailed descriptive studies of education systems across the world from the perspective of mathematics and gender equity issues.

Developments in the practice of mathematics have led to new types of proof and argumentation, challenging the established norms in this area. This book directs the attention of educational researchers to the newest developments in the philosophy and practice of mathematics.

In the four decades since Imre Lakatos declared mathematics a "quasi-empirical science," increasing attention has been paid to the process of proof and argumentation in the field -- a development paralleled by the rise of computer technology and the mounting interest in the logical underpinnings of mathematics.  Explanantion and Proof in Mathematics assembles perspectives from mathematics education and from the philosophy and history of mathematics to strengthen mutual awareness and share recent findings and advances in their interrelated fields.  With examples ranging from the geometrists of the 17th century and ancient Chinese algorithms to cognitive psychology and current educational practice, contributors explore the role of refutation in generating proofs, the varied links between experiment and deduction, the use of diagrammatic thinking in addition to pure logic, and the uses of proof in mathematics education (including a critique of "authoritative" versus "authoritarian" teaching styles).

A sampling of the coverage:

The conjoint origins of proof and theoretical physics in ancient Greece.Proof as bearers of mathematical knowledge.Bridging knowing and proving in mathematical reasoning.The role of mathematics in long-term cognitive development of reasoning.Proof as experiment in the work of Wittgenstein.Relationships between mathematical proof, problem-solving, and explanation.

Explanation and Proof in Mathematics is certain to attract a wide range of readers, including mathematicians, mathematics education professionals, researchers, students, and philosophers and historians of mathematics.

Developments in the practice of mathematics have led to new types of proof and argumentation, challenging the established norms in this area. This book directs the attention of educational researchers to the newest developments in the philosophy and practice of mathematics.

This book presents chapters exploring the most recent developments in the role of technology in proving. The full range of topics related to this theme are explored, including computer proving, digital collaboration among mathematicians, mathematics teaching in schools and universities, and the use of the internet as a site of proof learning. Proving is sometimes thought to be the aspect of mathematical activity most resistant to the influence of technological change. While computational methods are well known to have a huge importance in applied mathematics, there is a perception that mathematicians seeking to derive new mathematical results are unaffected by the digital era. The reality is quite different. Digital technologies have transformed how mathematicians work together, how proof is taught in schools and universities, and even the nature of proof itself. Checking billions of cases in extremely large but finite sets, impossible a few decades ago, has now become a standard method of proof. Distributed proving, by teams of mathematicians working independently on sections of a problem, has become very much easier as digital communication facilitates the sharing and comparison of results. Proof assistants and dynamic proof environments have influenced the verification or refutation of conjectures, and ultimately how and why proof is taught in schools. And techniques from computer science for checking the validity of programs are being used to verify mathematical proofs.Chapters in this book include not only research reports and case studies, but also theoretical essays, reviews of the state of the art in selected areas, and historical studies. The authors are experts in the field.

This book presents chapters exploring the most recent developments in the role of technology in proving. The full range of topics related to this theme are explored, including computer proving, digital collaboration among mathematicians, mathematics teaching in schools and universities, and the use of the internet as a site of proof learning.

Proving is sometimes thought to be the aspect of mathematical activity most resistant to the influence of technological change. While computational methods are well known to have a huge importance in applied mathematics, there is a perception that mathematicians seeking to derive new mathematical results are unaffected by the digital era. The reality is quite different. Digital technologies have transformed how mathematicians work together, how proof is taught in schools and universities, and even the nature of proof itself. Checking billions of cases in extremely large but finite sets, impossible a few decades ago, has now become a standard method of proof. Distributed proving, by teams of mathematicians working independently on sections of a problem, has become very much easier as digital communication facilitates the sharing and comparison of results. Proof assistants and dynamic proof environments have influenced the verification or refutation of conjectures, and ultimately how and why proof is taught in schools. And techniques from computer science for checking the validity of programs are being used to verify mathematical proofs.

Chapters in this book include not only research reports and case studies, but also theoretical essays, reviews of the state of the art in selected areas, and historical studies. The authors are experts in the field. 

While computational methods are well known to have a huge importance in applied mathematics, there is a perception that mathematicians seeking to derive new mathematical results are unaffected by the digital era.

Proof and Proving in Mathematics Education argues that deductive reasoning and proof should be integral parts of any mathematics curriculum. It identifies the resources teachers needed to enact such instruction, and facilitates the design of teacher education and development programs that provide them.