High school geometry textbooks’ proving opportunities of Common Core theorems

Abstract

AbstractThe Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) explicitly states many specific theorems for students to prove across multiple domains (i.e., congruence, similarity, circles, and coordinates) in high school geometry. This study examined five high school geometry textbooks for how they approached proof of 17 theorems stated in the congruence domain focused on lines and angles, triangles, and parallelograms. Results showed that although textbooks provided 75 student opportunities to prove these theorems, no textbook provided student opportunities to prove all 17. Textbooks rarely had students write proofs from general conditional statements, and instead typically provided consistent hard scaffolding including the given, what to prove, and a diagram for all proof opportunities. Some of the textbooks used novel scaffolding such as partially completed proofs, flowchart proofs, second proofs, and hints in the back of the book. Textbooks need to continue shifting more responsibility to students proving the CCSSM theorems by incorporating more diverse scaffolding along with a process for removing the scaffolding as student learning progresses.