Two Scenarios for Problem Solving and Pro-algebraic Reasoning Development in Primary School Children

Ducharme, M., & Polotskaia, E. (2010). Two Scenarios for Problem Solving and Pro-algebraic Reasoning Development in Primary School Children. Journal of Educational Science & Psychology, LXII(1), 170–184.

Abstract: In this article we analyse and compare two scenarios of story-problem situations that could support students’ conscious articulation of mathematical structure of a textual problem. One of the possible ways to observe this conscious articulation is through constructing and discussing a diagram as a pictorial representation of the problem’s structure. Both scenarios are based on using such diagrams. In both scenarios we tried to put the reasoning and communication at the centre of the problematic situation. However the outcomes in two cases are different.