Traditional versus Investigative Approaches to Teaching Algebra at the Lower Secondary Level: The Case of Equations

Abstract

The chapter focuses mainly on the following components of algebraic competence: (a) the ability to understand equality and equations and to apply them in real world problem-solving settings; (b) the ability to think in a symbolic language, to understand algebra as generalized arithmetic, and to understand it as the study of mathematical structures. The main topic discussed is teaching linear equations and their systems.

Keywords

• Algebraic competence
• understanding of equality and equations
• problem solving
• symbolic language
• algebra as generalized arithmetic
• algebra as the study of mathematical structures
• linear equations and their systems