Algorithms and multiplicative thinking: Are children prisoners of process?
Multiplicative thinking is a critical component of mathematics which largely determines the extent to which people develop mathematical understanding beyond middle primary years. We contend that there are several major issues, one being that much teaching about multiplicative ideas is focussed on...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
2020
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| Online Access: | http://www.cimt.org.uk/ijmtl/index.php/IJMTL/article/view/112 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/80388 |
| Summary: | Multiplicative thinking is a critical component of mathematics which largely determines the
extent to which people develop mathematical understanding beyond middle primary years.
We contend that there are several major issues, one being that much teaching about
multiplicative ideas is focussed on algorithms and procedures. An associated issue is the
extent to which algorithms are taught without the necessary explicit connections to key
mathematical ideas. This article explores the extent to which some primary students use the
algorithm as a preferred choice of method and whether they can recognise and use
alternative ways of calculating answers. We also consider the extent to which the students
understand ideas that underpin algorithms. Our findings suggest that most students in the
sample are ‘prisoners to procedures and processes’ irrespective of whether or not they
understand the mathematics behind the algorithms. |
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