Reasoning in Mathematics
Reasoning is at the heart of the shift from memorizing rules to doing mathematics. Finding pattern and order is to make sense of things , to figure out why ,to solve problems. With-out reasoning, mathematics is reduced to mindless skills that seem mysterious and useless in the real world . With logic and reasoning , mathematics makes sense; it is alive and profoundly useful. Our goal as teachers is to help our students develop the habit of providing an argument or a rationale for a response as part of every answer. When reasoning is valued, children can and do learn that the reasons for their answers are at least as important as the answers themselves. No longer should we hear children say, “Do we divide in this one?” but rather, “I think we should divide here because…” The habit is best started in kindergarten, but it is never too late to learn the habit, the satisfaction, and the value of defending ideas through logical argument.
Mindless procedures are routinely carried out by computers or by people on the lowest rung of the pay scale. Virtually every productively employed person in our society needs to know how to think and to solve problem they have never encountered before.