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Commentary on Part III

  • Chapter
Early Algebraization

Part of the book series: Advances in Mathematics Education ((AME))

Abstract

Using parts of a structural approach developed by Bennett (1966, 1970) for understanding complex situations, traditional and visionary approaches to teaching algebra are compared and contrasted, informed by the chapters in this part. In particular, a four-term structure for activity is used to consider how a transition from traditional to visionary might be engineered on a global scale. This reveals some vital topics for further research. It is conjectured that a core stumbling block is the increasingly prevalent desire to be ‘told what to do’ rather than to appreciate structurally what makes different actions applicable in different situations.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Open University, Milton Keynes, UK

    John Mason

  2. University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    John Mason

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  1. John Mason
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Correspondence to John Mason .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Mathematical Sciences, University of Delaware, Ewing Hall 501, Newark, 19716, Delaware, USA

    Jinfa Cai

  2. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Teacher Education Building, 225 N. Mills Street, Madison, 53706, Wisconsin, USA

    Eric Knuth

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Mason, J. (2011). Commentary on Part III. In: Cai, J., Knuth, E. (eds) Early Algebraization. Advances in Mathematics Education. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17735-4_28

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