The conjecturing process: perspectives in theory and implications in practice

[Abstract]: In this paper we analyze different types and stages of the conjecturing process. A classification of conjectures is discussed. A variety of problems that could lead to conjectures are considered from the didactical point of view. Results from a number of research studies are used to identify and investigate a number of questions related to the theoretical background of conjecturing as well as practical implications in the learning process

The conjecturing process: perspectives in theory and implications in practice

In this paper we analyze different types and stages of the conjecturing process. A classification of conjectures is discussed. A variety of problems that could lead to conjectures are considered from the didactical point of view. Results from a number of research studies are used to identify and investigate a number of questions related to the theoretical background of conjecturing as well as practical implications in the learning process

From conjecture generation by maintaining dragging to proof

In this paper we propose a hypothesis about how different uses of maintaining dragging, either as a physical tool in a dynamic geometry environment or as a psychological tool for generating conjectures can influence subsequent processes of proving. Through two examples we support the hypothesis that using maintaining dragging as a physical tool may foster cognitive rupture between the conjecturing phase and the proof, while using it as a psychological tool may foster cognitive unity between them.Comment: Research report at the 40th PME conference, Hungar

About a constructivist approach for stimulating students' thinking to produce conjectures and their proving in active learning of geometry

The paper describes processes that might lead secondary school students to produce conjectures in a plane geometry. It highlights relationship between conjecturing and proving. The author attempts to construct a teaching-learning environment proposing activities of observation and exploration of key concepts in geometry favouring the production of conjectures and providing motivation for the successive phase of validation, through refutations and proofs. Supporting didactic materials are built up in a way to introduce production of conjectures as a meaningful activity to students

K-8 Preservice Teachers’ Inductive Reasoning in the Problem-Solving Contexts

This paper reports the results from an exploratory study of K-8 pre-service teachers’ inductive reasoning. The analysis of 130 written solutions to seven tasks and 77 reflective journals completed by 20 pre-service teachers lead to descriptions of inductive reasoning processes, i.e. specializing, conjecturing, generalizing, and justifying, in the problem-solving contexts. The uncovered characterizations of the four inductive reasoning processes were further used to describe pathways of successful generalizations. The results highlight the importance of specializing and justifying in constructing powerful generalizations. Implications for teacher education are discussed