| Abstract: | This paper presents an alternative pedagogy implicit in Imre Lakatos’ Proofs and Refutations: The Logic of Mathematical Discovery. Through the voices of his characters, Lakatos reveals that learning mathematics is a discourse laden activity. In this approach it is acceptable, if not preferable, to refute a conjecture. Examples of the use of a Lakatosian approach in an elementary classroom are given. In this classroom setting students are able to propose more mature solutions, through posing and refuting conjectures. |
