When students confront arithmetic or algebraic word problems, they develop ideas and notations during the processes of solving them by using various arithmetic strategies. Those ideas and notations are the basis for solving that type of problems. Is it possible to aid the development of students' algebraic thinking during their transition from…

In this article we suggest a method of evaluating learner expertise based on assessment of the content of working memory and the extent to which cognitive load has been reduced by knowledge retrieved from long-term memory. The method was tested in an experiment with an elementary algebra tutor using a yoked control design. In the learner-adapted…

This study, part of a longitudinal investigation, examined the kinds of thinking which children aged 10 and 11 could carry over from Logo instruction to an algebraic context. Interviews focused on their ability to construct meaningful symbolization for the concept of variable and to construct formalized algebraic rules. (MNS)

Research shows that introducing basic forms of algebraic reasoning in elementary school enhances children's learning of arithmetic. In this guide, a research and a professional development project are described that have taken a practical approach to introducing algebraic reasoning to elementary students in Massachusetts. (Author/SOE)

Knowledge about the structure of arithmetic expressions enables people to reason effectively about such expressions, including an ability to judge equivalence under transformations. This paper reports an empirical study of six middle-school children who judged the equivalence of three sets of three-term arithmetic expressions with an addition and…