How do students benefit from doing mathematics research?
• Research provides students with an understanding of what it means to do mathematics and of mathematics as a living, growing field. • Writing mathematics and problem-solving become central to student s learning. • Students develop mastery of mathematics topics. Philosopher and educator John Dewey claimed that we don t learn the basics by studying the basics but by engaging in rich activities which require them. Research experiences require the repeated application of technical skills in the service of looking for patterns and testing conjectures. It is this repetition, in the context of motivating and meaningful problems, that leads to greater understanding and retention of mathematics skills. During an investigation, students make connections between ideas that further enhance retention. • Students develop their own mathematical aesthetic as they practice making choices about which aspects of a problem to investigate. • Students develop both confidence as mathematical thinkers and en
