Working with early number algebraically: the mental starters assessment project
Venkat, HamsaORCID: 0000-0002-6453-1623, Askew, MikeORCID: 0000-0003-0826-461X and Graven, MellonyORCID: 0000-0002-8021-3959
(2024)
Working with early number algebraically: the mental starters assessment project.
In: Thirteenth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME13), 10-14 July 2023, Budapest.
ISBN https://hal.science/hal-04418304
In this paper, we share features of the Mental Starters Assessment Project (MSAP) teaching and
assessment materials from South Africa that integrate early algebraic approaches in an initiative
focused on early arithmetic. The features of generalized arithmetic described in the early algebra
literature that are incorporated into the MSAP materials are detailed: attention to number
relations/properties and base ten structure, pattern, and moves between key representations. The
mechanisms through which these features are integrated are: inclusion of open number sentences
with a focus on equivalence, verbalisations of equivalence, attention to patterns in calculations in
base ten structure, and key representations and their interconnections. The trajectory of outcomes
from iterative scaling-up trials suggests that integration of algebraic features alongside arithmetical
goals builds mental mathematical skills in ways that are grounded in a relational sense of number.
Metadata
Item Type:
Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Event Type:
Conference
Refereed:
Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:
Mental mathematics; generalized arithmetic; strategic calculation; equivalence; South Africa
Thirteenth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (CERME13), Proceedings.
.
ERSME. ISBN https://hal.science/hal-04418304