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Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Proof (MKT-P) has been recognized as an important component of fostering student engagement with mathematical reasoning and proof. This study is one component of a larger study aimed at exploring the nature of MKT-P. The present study examines qualitative differences in feedback given by STEM majors, in-service and pre-service secondary mathematics teachers on hypothetical students’ arguments. The results explicate key distinctions in the feedback provided by these groups, indicating that this is a learnable skill. Feedback is cast as a component of MKT-P, making the results of this study significant empirical support for the construct of MKT-P as a type of knowledge that is unique to teachers. 

Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Proof (MKT-P) has been recognized as an important component of fostering student engagement with mathematical reasoning and proof. This study is one component of a larger study aimed at exploring the nature of MKT-P. The present study examines qualitative differences in feedback given by STEM majors, in-service and pre-service secondary mathematics teachers on hypothetical students’ arguments. The results explicate key distinctions in the feedback provided by these groups, indicating that this is a learnable skill. Feedback is cast as a component of MKT-P, making the results of this study significant empirical support for the construct of MKT-P as a type of knowledge that is unique to teachers. 

It has been suggested that integrating reasoning and proof in mathematics teaching requires a special type of teacher knowledge - Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching Proof (MKT-P). Yet, several important questions about the nature of MKT-P remain open, specifically, whether MKT-P is a type of knowledge specific to teachers, and whether MKT-P can be improved through intervention. We explored these questions by comparing performance on an MKT-P questionnaire of in-service secondary mathematics teachers, undergraduate STEM majors, and pre-service secondary mathematics teachers. The latter group completed the questionnaire twice- before and after participating in a capstone course, Mathematical Reasoning and Proving for Secondary Teachers. Our data suggest that MKT-P is indeed a special kind of knowledge specific to teachers and it can be improved through interventions. 

The benefits of using video in teacher education as a tool for reflection and for developing professional expertise have long been recognized. Recent introduction of 360 video technology holds promise to extend these benefits as it allows prospective teachers to reflect on their own performance by considering the classroom from multiple perspectives. This study examined nine prospective secondary teachers’ (PSTs) noticing and self-reflection on the 360 recordings of their own teaching. The PSTs, enrolled in a capstone course Mathematical Reasoning and Proving for Secondary Teachers, taught a proof-oriented lesson to small groups of students in local schools while capturing their teaching with 360 video cameras. We analyzed the PSTs’ written comments on their video and reflection reports to identify the categories of noticing afforded by the 360 technology as well as the instances of PSTs’ learning. The results point to the powerful potential of 360 videos for supporting PSTs’ self-reflection and professional growth. 

Proof and reasoning are central to learning mathematics with understanding. Yet proof is seen as challenging to teach and to learn. In a capstone course for preservice teachers, we developed instructional modules that guided prospective secondary mathematics teachers (PSTs) through a cycle of learning about the logical aspects of proof, then planning and implementing lessons in secondary classrooms that integrate these aspects with traditional mathematics curriculum in the United States. In this paper we highlight our framework on mathematical knowledge for teaching proof and focus on some of the logical aspects of proof that are seen as particularly challenging (four proof themes). We analyze 60 lesson plans, video recordings of a subset of 13 enacted lessons, and the PSTs’ self- reported data to shed light on how the PSTs planned and enacted lessons that integrate these proof themes. The results provide insights into successes and challenges the PSTs encountered in this process and illustrate potential pathways for preparing PSTs to enact reasoning and proof in secondary classrooms. We also highlight the design principles for supporting the development of PSTs’ mathematical knowledge for teaching proof. 

Future mathematics teachers must be able to interpret a wide range of mathematical statements, in particular conditional statements. Literature shows that even when students are familiar with conditional statements and equivalence to the contrapositive, identifying other equivalent and non-equivalent forms can be challenging. As a part of a larger grant to enhance and study prospective secondary teachers’ (PSTs’) mathematical knowledge for teaching proof, we analyzed data from 26 PSTs working on a task that required rewriting a conditional statement in several different forms and then determining those that were equivalent to the original statement. We identified three key strategies used to make sense of the various forms of conditional statements and to identify equivalent and non-equivalent forms: meaning making, comparing truth-values and comparing to known syntactic forms. The PSTs relied both on semantic meaning of the statements and on their formal logical knowledge to make their judgments. 

We describe an instructional module aimed to enhance prospective secondary teachers’ (PSTs’) subject matter knowledge of indirect reasoning. We focus on one activity in which PSTs had to compare and contrast proof by contradiction and proof by contrapositive. These types of proofs have been shown to be challenging to students at all levels and teachers alike, yet there has been little research on how to support learners in developing this knowledge. Data analysis of 11 PSTs, points to learning opportunities afforded by the module and the PSTs’ challenges with indirect reasoning. 

For reasoning and proving to become a reality in mathematics classrooms, pre-service teachers (PSTs) must develop knowledge and skills for creating lessons that engage students in proof-related activities. Supporting PSTs in this process was among the goals of a capstone course: Mathematical Reasoning and Proving for Secondary Teachers. During the course, the PSTs designed and implemented in local schools four lessons that integrated within the regular secondary curriculum one of the four proof themes discussed in the course: quantification and the role of examples in proving, conditional statements, direct proof and argument evaluation, and indirect reasoning. In this paper we report on the analysis of 60 PSTs’ lesson plans in terms of opportunities for students to learn about the proof themes, pedagogical features of the lessons and cognitive demand of the proof-related tasks. 

We use a curriculum design framework to analyze how prospective secondary teachers (PSTs) designed and implemented in local schools, lessons that integrate ongoing mathematical topics with one of the four proof themes addressed in the capstone course Mathematical Reasoning and Proving for Secondary Teachers. In this paper we focus on lessons developed around the conditional statements proof theme. We examine the ways in which PSTs integrated conditional statements in their lesson plans, how these lessons were implemented in classrooms, and the challenges PSTs encountered in these processes. Our results suggest that even when PSTs designed rich lesson plans, they often struggled to adjust their language to the students’ level and to maintain the cognitive demand of the tasks. We conclude by discussing possible supports for PSTs’ learning in these areas. 

For reasoning and proof to become a reality in mathematics classrooms, it is important to prepare teachers who have knowledge and skills to integrate reasoning and proving in their teaching. Aiming to enhance prospective secondary teachers’ (PSTs) content and pedagogical knowledge related to proof, we designed and studied a capstone course Mathematical Reasoning and Proving for Secondary Teachers. This paper describes the structure of the course and illustrates how PSTs’ interacted with its different components. The PSTs first strengthened their content knowledge, then developed and taught in local schools a lesson incorporating proof components. Initial data analyses show gains in PSTs’ knowledge for teaching proof and dispositions towards proving, following their participation in the course.