A student‐centred approach to group theory

Part of a course in group theory given to final year undergraduates at the University of Otago is outlined. The emphasis is on understanding what is going on, not just in the sense of students knowing and understanding the theorems but also in the sense of understanding how the theorems were developed in the first place. Hence much time is spent in allowing the students to pour over examples in order to create their own conjectures, proofs and counterexamples. This approach is suggested as a method of teaching undergraduates so that they can get more appreciation of the creative side of mathematics.