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Ed Wall
Posts:
36
Registered:
12/3/04
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Re: Flow Proofs again
Posted:
May 7, 1996 12:02 AM
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>After following the discussion about flow proofs this Winter, I was curious
>to see which type of proof students would choose to use if left to their
>own devices. I teach three sections of Integrated Math 2 using the new
>textbooks published by McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin (it is a joint
>effort). My students are 9th and 10th graders, many of whom do not have
>English as a first language. The text presents three types of proof -
>paragraph, flow and two column - at the same time. I tried to be neutral
>in my own presentations and I always allowed the students to choose the
>type of proof they wanted to use(unless they had to fill in the
>justifications - at that point they had to follw the chosen format).
>
>At the end of the first unit which involved proof, I asked, as a test
>question, "Which type of proof do you prefer? Why?"
>
>The result was almost unanimous in the students' choice of two column
>proof. They found paragraph proofs too wordy - hard to write and follow.
>Two column proofs, they claimed, were easiest to read and follow because
>the steps were in logical order with the reasons lined up right next to the
>steps. The only class in which any students choose flow proof was my
>weakest (in terms of both mathematics and English language)class.
>
>Any comments?
>
>Jennifer
>
>Jennifer Kaplan
Did the same experiment. Two column proofs were prefered.
Ed Wall
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