Rigorous Mathematical Thinking: Conceptual Formation in the Mathematics Classroom [Paperback]

The first book to present mathematics teaching from Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory of learning perspective.The Rigorous Mathematical Thinking (RMT) model is based on two major theoretical approaches allowing such an active construction  Vygotsky's theory of psychological tools and Feuerstein's concept of mediated learning experience. This book starts with general cognitive tools that are essential for all types of problem solving and then moves to mathematically specific cognitive tools and the utilization of these tools for mathematical conceptual formation.The Rigorous Mathematical Thinking (RMT) model is based on two major theoretical approaches allowing such an active construction  Vygotsky's theory of psychological tools and Feuerstein's concept of mediated learning experience. This book starts with general cognitive tools that are essential for all types of problem solving and then moves to mathematically specific cognitive tools and the utilization of these tools for mathematical conceptual formation.This book demonstrates how rigorous mathematical thinking can be fostered through the development of students cognitive tools and operations. Though this approach can be applied in any classroom, it seems to be particularly effective with socially disadvantaged and culturally different students. The authors argue that childrens cognitive functions cannot be viewed as following a natural maturational path: They should be actively constructed during the educational process. The Rigorous Mathematical Thinking (RMT) model is based on two major theoretical approaches allowing such an active construction  Vygotsky's theory of psychological tools and Feuerstein's concept of mediated learning experience. The book starts with general cognitive tools that are essential for all types of problem solving and then moves to mathematically specific cognitive tools and methods for utilizing these tools for mathematical conceptual formation. The application of the RMT modellã˜