Inferences and conditional model in the students’ dialogue about mathematical tasks
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48489/quadrante.30040Keywords:
mathematical-logical thinking, deductive method , college mathematics, mental model of the conditional , case studiesAbstract
In this paper we explore, with a case study, how mental models of conditional reasoning (Modus Ponens, Modus Tollens and their associated fallacies) are built through the meanings that students give to objects and mathematical relationships of the premises. These inferences are presented in mathematical tasks posed in graphic and colloquial registers. The protocol of an in-depth interview carried out with students entering the university who elaborate additional considerations of their productions is analyzed. We considered the Theory of Mental Models (TMM) for the analysis from a semantic perspective of both the information of the premises and the reasoning scheme. The results of this work make it possible to think about teaching conditions for deductive reasoning in mathematics classes, incorporating contributions from the MMT to the didactic.
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