Writing to Convince: Uncovering Reasoning in the Mathematics Classroom

Tracie McLemore Salinas, University of Tennessee

Reasoning is a vital part of mathematics. The process and products of reasoning appear at every step of mathematical work, whether implicitly or explicitly. Unfortunately, when reasoning is kept hidden, students fail to develop a thorough understanding of their mathematical work. When reasoning is explicit, however, students engage more thoughtfully and actively in learning. This presentation explores the use of “Writing to Convince” in an undergraduate mathematics course as a means of making reasoning an overt feature of the class. Results of using such a technique are presented along with suggestions for creating a classroom environment that is conducive to such work.