Challenges to the Importance of Proof

An informed view of the role of proof in mathematics leads one to the conclusion that proof should be part of any mathematics curriculum that pmpotts to reflect mathematics itself, and furthermore that the main function of proof in the classroom reflects one of its key functions in mathematics itself: The promotion of understanding. Yet developments in both mathematics and mathematics education have now caused the very place of proof in the teaching of mathematics to be called into question. Examining these developments, this paper concludes that proof is alive and well in mathematical practice, and that it continues to deserve a prominent place in the mathematics curriculum This paper also argues that the most important challenge to mathematics educators in the context of proof is to enhance its role in the classroom by finding more effective ways of using it as a vehicle to promote mathematical tmderstanding