LEARNING STUDENT APPROACHES ALGEBRAIC PROOFS

In algebraic proof, analysis of student written work on tasks that demand generalization and explanation may yield insights into student use and understanding of justification and proof in algebra. These insights, in turn, may enable mathematics educators to develop instruction that supports and challenges student reasoning. D'Ambrosio et al explore student work in an effort to analyze how students respond to a task that requests an explanation of why a numerical pattern is always true.