ASL ARG on NCTM PSSM 1B Association of Symbolic Logic Association Resource Group General Review of the Draft PSSM for NCTM Standards Revision Group, Part 2 Mathematical Reasoning Mathematical reasoning involves the drawing of logical conclusions from explicit hypotheses.
Proof is the justification of a mathematical statement within a formal system.
Mathematical reasoning should be a central component of K-12 mathematics. Formal proof should be foreshadowed in the grades but treated seriously only in high school. Students should study problems of several types. But problems which are ambiguous in statement but which resolve to several distinct but single answered mathematical problems should also be considered. Thus, mathematical reasoning involves describing what hypotheses are taken and what means of inference are used.