Algebraic thinking in primary school: a challenge for teacher training

Abstract

The following article is a semiotic analysis of the written, oral, and gesture productions of a fifth-grade student from a school in Bogotá, Colombia, while performing a pattern sequence task. This analysis was performed within the algebraic thinking research conducted by the Pedagogy and Didactics line of the doctoral programme in Education of Santo Tomás University in Bogotá, Colombia. First, the interpretation of the productions made by the student shall be conducted. Then, the semiotic objectification methods occurring shall be described. Then, the analyticity component shall be analysed. Finally, the type of generalisation shall be established. Subsequently, the importance of the teacher having broad didactic knowledge to properly interpret the productions made by students with regard to these types of tasks shall be highlighted.