Department of Mathematics
Title : What lies beneath? An exploration of the accessibility of proof and proving in the context of an advanced undergraduate mathematics module: a case study
| Speaker: Aisling McCluskey Affiliation: National University of Ireland, Galway Time: 3pm Friday, 9 March, 2012 Location: 303-B07 Science Building |
Abstract
| The subject Metric Spaces is a typical advanced undergraduate pure mathematics module. It is a subject that is characterised by theory and proof. In 2009, I undertook a case study concerning the learning experience of a group of students attending Metric Spaces in an Irish university. It emerged in response to a need to understand the barriers to accessing the level of abstraction required by the module. It was enabled by the teaching and learning opportunities afforded by a relatively small class, namely 30 students. In this talk, I will describe how these students responded to the type of learning required by the module and how they were encouraged (or not, as the case may be) by approaches adopted in the module. In particular, I will discuss the attitude towards, development of and facility with proof and proving in such advanced mathematics-major undergraduates, drawing upon the literature on advanced mathematical thinking. *This research was supported by funding from the National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL) in Ireland. |
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Programmes and Centres
- New Zealand Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (NZIMA)
- Community for Understanding and Learning in the Mathematical Sciences (CULMS)
- Centre for Mathematical Social Science (CMSS)
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of Engineering Science
- Department of Physics
- Department of Statistics
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute
