Special Colloquium
Mara V. Martinez
Tufts University
Integrating Algebra and Proof in High School: The Case of the Calendar Sequence
Abstract: Previous studies (Friendlander & Hershkowitz, 1997; Harel & Sowder, 1998;
Healy & Hoyles, 2000) set the stage for the need to conduct more research in the
integration of algebra and proof in the high school curriculum. Given the evidence
provided by Barallobres' (2004) work, my hypothesis is that an integrated approach can
provide meaning to students' learning of both algebra and proof. The goal of this paper is
to report on the challenges that students (9th and 10th graders in a public school in
Massachusetts, USA) faced in their work with variables and equivalent expressions when
engaged in producing and proving conjectures, and how these challenges were overcome.
Students worked on problems from the Calendar Sequence, a didactical sequence
(Brousseau, 1997) of twenty problems that was engineered (Artigue, 1988, 1994;
Douady, 1997) to promote a specific algebraic functioning: the production of new
knowledge about a system (Chevallard, 1985, 1989) such as the calendar.
There will be a Meet & Greet right after the talk in SEO 300. Coffee, tea and cookies will be served.
Tuesday March 18, 2008 at 3:00 PM in SEO 636