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ALGEBRA: BEYOND MANIPULATING SYMBOLS

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ALGEBRA: BEYOND MANIPULATING SYMBOLS

Author: Elizabeth Warren

Publication Year: 1993

Abstract

Over the last two decades a vast number of research projects have Identified areas of students'
misunderstandings in the algebraic domain. It appears that the main focus of this research has been on
developing an understanding of variables, the translation of word problems, and on"doing" algebra - the
manipulation of symbols. Although these aspects are important to algebra, Booth (1989) and Kieran (1989)
believe that a critical aspect is understanding just what the algebraic statement represents, both visually and
symbolically. When linking and using various representations, spatial skills and higher order thinking skills
play key roles, and are therefore crucial to the acquisition of algebraic understanding. This paper illustrates
the importance of these skills to the, algebraic domain, reviews the literature pertaining to these skills within
the algebraic domain, and identifies the research implications drawn from this literature.

Type: research paper

ELIZABETH WARREN
ALGEBRA: BEYOND MANIPULATING SYMBOLS

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