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Specialising and conjecturing in mathematical investigation
Citation
Yeo, J. B. W. (2017). Specialising and conjecturing in mathematical investigation. In B. Kaur, W. K. Ho, T. L. Toh, & B. H. Choy (Eds.), Proceedings of the 41st Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 4, pp. 337-344). Psychology of Mathematics Education.
Abstract
This paper introduces a new framework to model the interactions of the processes of specialising and conjecturing when students engage in mathematical investigation. The framework posits that there is usually a cyclic pathway alternating between examining specific examples (specialising) and searching for pattern (conjecturing), instead of a linear pathway as in many other theoretical models. The framework also
distinguishes between observing a pattern and formulating it as a conjecture, unlike most models that treat an observed pattern as a conjecture to be proven or refuted. I will then use the framework to analyse and explicate a secondary school student's specialising and conjecturing processes while he attempted an open investigative task.
Date Issued
2017
ISBN
9789811137426
Description
This paper was published in the 2017 proceedings of the 41st Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education held at Singapore from 17 - 22 July 2017