| Popis: |
The chapter begins by identifying, and placing in their historical contexts, the main issues in a longstanding debate over the purposes of school algebra. The following six purposes for school algebra, recognized by various writers over the past three centuries, are then identified: (a) algebra as a body of knowledge essential to higher mathematical and scientific studies, (b) algebra as generalized arithmetic, (c) algebra as a prerequisite for entry to higher studies, (d) algebra as offering a language and set of procedures for modeling real-life problems, (e) algebra as an aid to describing structural properties in elementary mathematics, and (f) algebra as a study of variables. The question is then raised, and discussed, whether school algebra represents a unidimensional trait. |
