Algebra

Where to Start

Research indicates that the initial approach often advocated in standard school mathematics textbooks of performing exercises of algebraic manipulation or collecting like terms of the type 2a + 2a + 3a = 7a is counter-productive and can easily lead to pupil algebraic alienation (Lins et al., 2002; Warren, Trigueros and Ursini, 2016). Pupils should have a firm understanding of structure and patterns within arithmetic which they can then use to form generalisations. Therefore, an alternative approach may be to introduce algebra from a familiar arithmetic scenario, and this can be often received more favourably by learners. A more difficult professional aspect for teachers to solve is that not all learners in a class will be cognitively ready at the same instant in their development to move from the concrete world of arithmetic to the abstract world of algebra.