Creación de problemas en la formación de docentes: una herramienta para desarrollar el razonamiento algebraico

María Burgos; Nicolás Tizón-Escamilla

doi:10.18172/con.6495

Authors

María Burgos University of Granada https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4598-7684
Nicolás Tizón-Escamilla University of Granada https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3221-7928

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18172/con.6495

Keywords:

Problem creation, algebraic reasoning, primary teacher education, mathematics education, didactic-mathematical knowledge and competences

Abstract

The creation of problems is considered a fundamental activity in the training of future teachers that allows them to improve their didactic-mathematical knowledge and skills. This paper describes the design, implementation and results of a training experience with future elementary school teachers focused on the creation of problems to develop algebraic reasoning. The research has a descriptive and exploratory nature with a qualitative approach. We analyze the responses of trainee teachers to a task in which, working collaboratively (grouped in 13 teams), they had to create problems as a variation of three given situations to encourage algebraic reasoning in their students. The results show that the trainee teachers were, in general, successful in modifying situations in arithmetic environments. On the one hand, if the starting situation involved comparing the results of arithmetic operations, they mostly created problems that involved comparing expressions or checking the veracity of algebraic equalities, fostering aspects such as generalized arithmetic or expressions and equalities. On the other hand, if the initial situation involved the calculation of an arithmetic operation, future teachers mostly proposed problems that involved solving equations. However, the future teachers had difficulties in creating new problems starting from a situation in a geometric environment, almost all of them proposing ambiguous or incorrect problems that rarely encouraged the development of algebraic reasoning. We conclude the importance of incorporating in teacher training programs the creation of problems in a wide variety of situations as a means to promote a global vision of school algebra.

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References

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