Abstract
Algebra, isn’t that just advanced arithmetic? It’s not quite as simple as that. In practice, the relationship between arithmetic and algebra is not an easy one, and the transition between various types of education creates an additional complication. Students in secondary education continue to work with arithmetic, but differently than in primary school. Education for young children pays little attention to algebraic thinking, even though there are certainly opportunities to do so. Important aspects of algebraic thinking include implicit reasoning and generalization. If young students are encouraged to develop algebraic thinking, and this thinking is maintained and expanded in the subsequent years, a longitudinal learning trajectory for algebra is created. This can not only narrow the gap between arithmetic and algebra, but also between the various types of education. This chapter shows how such a longitudinal learning trajectory could be given shape.
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Dekker, T., Dolk, M. (2011). From Arithmetic to Algebra. In: Drijvers, P. (eds) Secondary Algebra Education. SensePublishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-334-1_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-334-1_3
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