Generalising mathematical structure in Years 3-4 :A case study of Equivalence of Expression
Year: 2008
Type: article
Abstract: This paper reports on a section of the Early Algebraic Thinking Project (EATP) which focused on Australian Years 3-4 (age 7-9) students' abilities to generalise mathematical structure in relation to equivalence of expressions (with and without unknowns). It focuses on learning activities involving a sequence of representations to show that change resulting from addition-subtraction requires the performance of the opposite change (subtraction-addition respectively) by the same amount in order to return to the original state (e.g., x = x+p-p or x-q+q in algebraic symbols).It shows that children of this age can generalise this mathematical structure and that effective teaching for generalisation uses creative representation-worksheet partnerships.EATP was a five-year longitudinal project that studied a cohort of students progressively from Years 2 to 6 deriving from 5 inner city middle class state schools in Queensland.The cohort was chosen for their early algebraic thinking, particularly their ability to generalise mathematical structure in patterning, function and equation situations.For EATP, mathematical structure is built around relationship and change (Linchevski, 1995;Scandura, 1971) and is constrained by principles i.e. powerful mathematical ideas where meaning is encoded in the structure between the components not in the form of the components (Ohlsson, 1993).(Note:
Authors: Tom Cooper, Elizabeth Warren
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2150791264