on my mind: The Conceptual Chicken and the Procedural Egg

One lesson we learned early on in child psychology courses is that learning progresses from the concrete to the semiconcrete, or representational, and finally to the abstract or symbolic level. At first glance, this seems to be not only logical but also a given fact of life. This vision of learning...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mathematics teaching in the middle school 2010-11, Vol.16 (4), p.196-198
Main Author: Roberts, Sally K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Educational activities
Experiential learning
Learning experiences
Mathematical knowledge
Mathematics education
Mathematics materials
Middle schools
Professional development
Pythagorean theorem
Task knowledge
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:One lesson we learned early on in child psychology courses is that learning progresses from the concrete to the semiconcrete, or representational, and finally to the abstract or symbolic level. At first glance, this seems to be not only logical but also a given fact of life. This vision of learning is a linear progression. When applied to mathematics, this learning theory leads to the assumption that the use of manipulatives and hands-on learning experiences should precede procedural symbol manipulation. It also leads to the belief that using manipulatives can ensure understanding of more abstract representations.
ISSN:1072-0839
2328-5486
DOI:10.5951/MTMS.16.4.0196