In this study, it was aimed to investigate 4-to-6-year-old children's reasoning skills appearing in pattern tasks. 55 children studying in the classes of four different pre-school classes participated in the study. A classroom teaching experiment was conducted to examine the development of children's reasoning skills in pattern tasks. Both…

This paper explores Year 3 Irish students' problem-solving strategies when responding to a skyscraper growing pattern problem. Students' strategies reveal their understandings of multiplicative thinking, pattern, and algebraic reasoning. The version of the growing pattern lesson was that a 'teaching through problem solving' approach was taken,…

This study aimed to examine whether a computational thinking (CT) intervention related to (a) number knowledge and arithmetic (b) algebra, and (c) geometry impacts students' learning performance in primary schools. To this end, a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent group design was employed, with 61 students assigned to the experimental group and 47…

This study analyzes the mathematical knowledge of 40 preservice Chilean Early Childhood and Primary Education teachers when designing mathematical tasks on patterns, in the context of teaching early algebra. Based on the domains of the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) model, we have adopted a descriptive qualitative methodological…

Spanish educational curriculum adopts a mathematical process-based approach, which encompasses problem solving, reasoning and proof, communication, connections and representation. A fundamental role in the integration of these processes in mathematics teaching is played by teachers' professional practice of designing tasks. According to this, our…

In this article we aim to deepen our understanding of the content and nature of the early childhood teacher's knowledge, focusing on those aspects which might promote students' algebraic thinking. Approaching arithmetic from the viewpoint of algebra as an advanced perspective and considering the analytical model "Mathematics Teachers'…

This article describes part of the findings of a teaching experiment whose objective is to investigate the algebraic abilities of elementary students when they solve situations that involve a functional relationship. In particular, we focus on describing the use and meanings attributed to letters by third-year primary school students when faced…

The mathematics curricula of countries such as the United States, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand have started to incorporate the teaching of algebra in early childhood education. From this perspective, our study has two objectives: (a) to design a learning trajectory and teaching itinerary introducing patterns for children between the ages…

The overarching aim of this article is to exemplify and analyse how some algebraic aspects of equations can be theoretically explored and reflected upon by young students in collaboration with their teacher. The article is based upon an empirical example from a case study in a grade 1 in a primary school. The chosen lesson is framed by the…

Teaching in ways responsive to the cultures of our students is vital towards enhancing equity of access to mathematics achievement and putting educational policy into practice. New Zealand has the largest group of Pasifika people in the Western world, a multi-ethnic group of indigenous people from Pacific Island nations who have differing cultural…

Mathematics educators and researchers have advocated for the use of manipulatives to teach mathematics for decades. The purpose of this article is to provide illustrative uses of a readily available manipulative rather than a complete list. From an Australian perspective, Pop-it fidget toys can be used across the mathematics curriculum. This paper…

In the present research, we provide empirical evidence for the process of symbolic integration of number associations, focusing on the development of simple addition (e.g., 5 + 3 = 8), subtraction (e.g., 5 - 3 = 2), and multiplication (e.g., 5 × 3 = 15). Canadian children were assessed twice, in Grade 2 and Grade 3 (N = 244; 55% girls). All…

Background: Working structurally with patterns at foundation phase (FP) enhances habits of mind that advance early algebra at this early stage of mathematical learning. The South African curriculum proposes that learners work with and understand the logic of a pattern, but this important idea has largely been neglected in classroom texts and in…

Explaining appears to dominate primary teachers' understanding of mathematical reasoning when it is not confused with problem solving. Drawing on previous literature of mathematical reasoning, we generate a view of the critical aspects of reasoning that may assist primary teachers when designing and enacting tasks to elicit and develop…

Explanatory-confirmatory research design, one of the mixed methods research designs, was used in this study to investigate Curriculum Knowledge developments of prospective teachers regarding algebra. Cross-sectional study method, as a type of descriptive research and one of the non-experimental research designs, was used to collect quantitative…