ABSTRACT

This research focuses on ways in which balance scales mediate students’ relational understandings of the equal sign. Participants included 21 Kindergarten–Grade 2 students who took part in an early algebra classroom intervention focused in part on developing a relational understanding of the equal sign through the use of balance scales. Students participated in pre-, mid- and post-intervention interviews in which they were asked to evaluate true-false equations and solve open number sentences. Students often worked with balance scales while solving these tasks. Interview analyses revealed several categories of affordances of these tools for supporting students’ productive thinking about equations.

摘要

本研究侧重于平衡量表调解学生对等号的关系理解的方式。参与者包括 21 名幼儿园至 2 年级的学生，他们参加了早期的代数课堂干预，部分重点是通过使用天平来发展对等号的关系理解。学生参加了干预前、中期和干预后的访谈，他们被要求评估真假方程并解决开放式数字句子。学生在解决这些任务时经常使用天平。访谈分析揭示了这些工具的几类可供性，以支持学生对方程式进行富有成效的思考。