Do hear a lot of grumbling at your house when high schools kids struggle with geometry proofs and can’t see the point?
Are geometry proofs really necessary? Do they have a purpose other than passing the math test and doing well on standardized tests? Is this a life skill your kids will use?
Unless your child majors in math, it’s highly unlikely he’ll ever need to the specific skill required in completing geometry proofs. And chances are he’ll soon forget how to do them.
So what’s the point? Why do we make kids go through this ordeal?
Learning to do geometry proofs is a brain-boosting activity that helps improve children’s brain function, often permanently. In other words, the thinking skills used in doing geometry proofs are important thinking skills your child will use in other academic classes . . . and life in general.
Doing geometry proofs requires the brain to operate in new and complex ways, forming and reinforcing complex brain connections. Once developed, these neural connections remain, ready to “jump into action” in real-life situations, long after how-to-do-geometry-proofs has faded into mental oblivion.
Brain patterns developed by doing geometry proofs include three essential skills.
Organization: Doing proofs requires organization, forcing the brain to cultivate and improve neural paths in the executive function area. This involves sorting the given information, making diagrams, labeling, and keeping track of the progress throughout the task. Until they’re doing geometry proofs, your kids probably haven’t done any activity that requires such complex organizing skills.
Logical thinking: Doing proofs requires logical thinking, a mental process that is rarely well developed in the younger high school students. The act of doing proofs provides your child with a great opportunity to develop, or improve upon, this valuable higher order thinking process.
Self-discipline: The mental and physical tasks required when doing proofs are unnatural, tedious, and difficult for many students. Now they’re being asked to make diagrams from sentences and symbols, and to plan, carry out and coordinate all the required activities. As a result, your kids tend to develop greater self-discipline.
So doing geometry proofs isn’t just for passing tests. It’s good for the brain. Doing proofs help make young brains better, often permanently better. In fact, math in general is good for the brain.
Please leave a comment about geometry proofs or math in general. We love to hear from you.
About Dr. Linda
geometry proofs are not needed. the only answer I’ve ever gotten for “why do we need to learn this?” to geometry proofs is “because for when you’re a teacher, you can teach it.”
don’t kid yourself that it helps the brain, all it did for anyone in my class, and anyone who I’ve ever talked to about proofs is get them frustrated and annoyed that we have to do such pointless work.
The problem is, many kids have trouble accepting that their brains are still developing. They think their brains are perfect the way they are. They are not correct.
It is hard to believe, but it is true. Until 30 years old and even beyond, the well cultivated brain becomes better and better.
I agree that school subjects appear to be useless, but learning them stimulates brain development. The more variety, and the more complex, the more brain connections. Math develops the brain one way, science another, foreign language another, and so forth.
Unfortunately, many teachers act as if their subjects are the end-all. Some even skirt the issue and say, as you describe, learn it because “I am the teacher.” The truth is, and you’ll surely agree, kids will forget the details very quickly. But, don’t stop reading here.
By learning school subjects, not just cramming and getting by, but by really learning the material, the brain becomes “wired” better. And it stays that way, forever, ready to jump into action when needed. And, please believe me, it will be needed.
Being able to think well is good! And a well developed brain is a treasure that remains so long after CPCTC has faded from memory.
I see the point you are trying to make here, but why such a bizarre technique? If they want to tease our brain why not just do it with less complex EVERY DAY problems. Not “Why is this equal to this?” even though we all know it to be true and not needing to be proved?
Geometry proofs are NOT neccessary, there are dozens of ways and activities that “boost” the brain in several different matter. Proving that triangle ABC is congruent to triangle DEF is pointless. Why not do problems that boost the brain everyday a little bit, instead of huge gallops through proofs that just make everyone angry? Why not learn in a double fashion meaning that they will both use the skill and it boosts brain power?
is there even medical evidence to suggest this activity boosts the teenage brain more than any other geometric related activity?
OK Linda, I'm a 50 year old PhD student. I hated geometry when I was in high school, and HATE it now as I review math in prep for a graduate level stats course. I'm a medical professional that has well-developed cognitive function. I can truly say that after a half-century of life geometry is useless. I'd love to see the research that supports your contention that geometry forms those magical synapses in the brain. I'd rather use some Dopamine. Geometry and those that support it can go pound sand. I'm just glad that Mr. Oliver, the useless geometry teacher from 1976, is probably dead by now….good riddance.
Positively no connection. Notice how no 'math' was used to answer the question. Just a selling point. Really? How to prove that a right angle is perpendicular to a straight edge? Like inventing a new thought process? It's sickening if it weren't so lame. Why geometry isn't being taught at all!
Positively no connection. Notice how no 'math' was used to answer the question. Just a selling point. Really? How to prove that a right angle is perpendicular to a straight edge? Like inventing a new thought process? It's sickening if it weren't so lame. Why geometry isn't being taught at all!
im a sophmore. i hate geometry. it's fifty five minutes of torture.
a prooof is nt logical thinking, there is different logic for different things like i can say programming is logical thinking and a geometry teacher that logically thinks wouldnt b able to figure it out. there is different logic in different things in order to do proofs u need to know the math reasons on why the peices are s=cingruent or similar, its un neccessary now in programming u need to know the code which is logical thinking for that there is a big difference. proofs r an extreme waste of time because they rlly have nothing to do w/ math. people can learn organization and self discipline doing other tasks. proofs u need to know the reason to prove ur statement true and u will never use these reason ever again in ur life, if u can actually think of a decent argument please e mail me