'Reasoning' in national curricula and standards

Abstract

The differing meanings and usages of terms related to argumentation and proof have been discussed in the literature and related to differences in language (e.g., Sekiguchi & Miyazaki, 2000), professional context (e.g., Godino & Recio, 1997), and epistemological perspectives (e.g., Balacheff, 2008). Here I will contribute to this literature by examining the use of the word ‘reasoning’ in the 2020 Norwegian national mathematics curriculum, in the 2000 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Standards and in the 2003 Education Standards of the German Kultusminister Konferenz (KMK). I will identify differences in usage, make connections to related terms such as ‘argumentation’ and ‘proof’, and suggest a ramework for further discussion of these differences.