Proof and proving in secondary school

Abstract

This paper argues that mathematics should be a human activity in which the process of guided invention takes the learner through the various stages and steps of the discovery of mathematical ideas and concepts. The central premise is that proof functions as an explanation, where experimental mathematics is used to empirically convince the learner that the conjecture holds true. Inductive reasoning used while working with the computer software Sketchpad assists learners in arriving at and testing their conjectures.