Software tools for elementary math education : animated mathematical proofs

Abstract

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics [6] has identified the learning of proofs as a critical goal for students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 (p. 56). A proof for elementary students is not the highly structured mathematical argument seen in high school algebra classes. It is, however, a rational mathematical argument created by students using the appropriate vocabulary for their level of understanding. To aid students in learning to create mathematical proofs software that enables them to create simple animations is invaluable. This thesis looks at the characteristics, design, testing and evaluation of such software. An initial design is presented and the feedback gained from testing its implementation in a class setting is discussed along with the changes that were required to improve the software in light of the feedback. A comparison is then made between the final implementation of the software and other similar programs. The results indicate that the software enables students to create, share and discuss mathematical proofs in the form of simple animations.