Developing algebraic reasoning: The role of sequenced tasks and teacher question from the primary to the early secondary school levels

Abstract

This article begins first with a presentation of the various ways in which researchers describe algebraic reasoning in school mathematics, with particular focus on that of the primary school level. This leads into a discussion of the role of tasks and discussion questions in the development of students’ algebraic reasoning.

The rest of the article, which constitutes its main thrust, consists of examples drawn from the international research literature on algebraic reasoning that illustrate ways in which task and teacher questions can be set up so as to encourage relational thinking, awareness of form, and generalizable approaches in students from the primary up through the early secondary levels. The task examples that are discussed all suggest the importance of one central feature: structured sequences of operations that draw students’ attention to crucial aspects of form and its generalizability.