An Acion Research to Implement Algebra Teaching by a Fifth-Grade Teacher

• Main Author: 林曉菁
• Other Authors: 林碧珍
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/98852043776709890303

碩士 === 國立新竹教育大學 === 數理教育研究所 === 100 === This study described a teacher’s practices of implementing algebra teaching. The researcher discussed the dilemma the teacher encountered in practice and its solutions. The study also examined the factors affecting the changes of teaching strategies and the teacher’s self- reflections. The setting of the study was the researcher’s class. The participants were not only the researcher, but also the 32 students in the class. The researcher, as the instructor, also attended “mathematical professional team” to discuss the teaching of algebra. The whole teaching design included six parts: listing number sentences with bracket, recognizing the algebra expressions, listing algebraic expressions, a value placed in unknown, listing equation, and solving equation. During the process of the research, the researcher designed teaching materials and activities, revised the activity strategies through the analysis of records of question-solving records from students, and the conversations between the teacher and students, writing the reflection diary, discussing it with students, and exchanging opinions with other teachers. Besides, the researcher also attended “inter-school teachers mathematic professional development team”, and through class observations and the seminars, the researcher had a more precise grasp of the teaching and a better understanding of students’ learning difficulties. The research revealed that the grade-five students’ difficulties in learning algebra expressions are: (1) students can’t list the number sentences with bracket according to the meaning of the question, (2) concept of algebraic expression representing quantity is weak, (3) students can’t list equation according the meaning of the question. Teacher’s strategies for dealing with the problems are as follows: (1) Using every kind of operators and changing the place of bracket to make students discuss with others, (2) Making students recognize algebraic expressions by the concrete operations, (3) Changing the problem situation and making the students list algebraic expressions and equations by using segmented questions, (4) Revealing equations by the equality axiom. Finally, this research made some suggestions for future teaching and researches. First, when students’ arithmetic thinking transfer to algebraic thinking, they relied on their experience of listing fill-in blank questions; therefore, teacher must make students have the ability to list fill-in blank questions before implementing the teaching of listing equation. Second, teacher must make students recognize the meaning of algebraic expressions, and had the chance to use the algebraic expressions to solve problems. In future research, we can debate the effect on students who learn algebra without learning number sentences with bracket.