Modeling in the early years of basic education: as students model problem-situations?

Abstract:

This article aims to understand and analyze how elementary students solve problems through modeling, which may require symbolic algebra and languages to use the model's expression. The empirical data have been constructed through one of the modeling practices developed with 16 public school students for 11 hours / class, between June and July / 2015. It were obtained from materials produced by students, audio and video recordings and observation during practice on the numbers of a person's shoes. In the modeling process, the students proposed model establishing numerical relationships between variables, obtaining generalizations and making forecasts. The analysis showed that they solve the problem situation by presenting models in natural languages, in numerical and tabular formats demonstrating characteristic algebra from previous algebraic thought to the symbolic language, appropriate to the educational level, and go beyond the objectives regarding the completion of the forecast from model.

Keywords:
Modeling in Education; Elementary school; Teaching and research; Algebra