Izabella Oliveira

How Kindergarten and Elementary School Students Understand the Concept of Classification

Teaching statistics has been increasingly valued in recent years. To understand the physical and social world that surrounds us, knowing how to systematize information and/or understand the information matched is fundamental. Thus, knowing how to classify data is a fundamental skill. This article aims to analyse what students between 5 and 9 years old and teachers who teach those grades know and can learn about activities involving classification. To this end, we present the results of three different studies conducted with elementary school children and teachers. The results reveal that children are able to classify from a previously defined criterion and to discover a classification criterion, but experience more difficulties when creating criteria to classify. We believe this may be explained, partially, by the lack of familiarity with this type of activity both in everyday life and at school, as they are generally asked to classify from pre-defined criteria instead of producing their own. However, since kindergarten children are already able to classify in different situations and, most importantly, they are able to learn easily the skills needed to classify, we believe that if they have instruction that leads them to reflect about classification, they learn easily, thereby evidencing the important role of the school.

Comment s’y prennent-ils? La résolution de problèmes de partage inéquitable par des élèves avant enseignement formel de l’algèbre

RésuméCet article présente quelques résultats qui documentent les procédures mobilisées et les raisonnements déployés par des élèves de 6e année du primaire et du 1re secondaire de Québec, lors de la résolution de problèmes de partage inéquitable. Les analyses illustrent que tous les élèves résolvent ces problèmes de manière arithmétique. Plusieurs de ces élèves s’appuient sur un raisonnement strictement arithmétique, tandis que d’autres mobilisent une pensée analytique. La prise en compte de ces nuances lors de l’introduction de l’algèbre contribuerait à un passage plus harmonieux de l’arithmétique vers l’algèbre.AbstractThis article presents research findings that document the steps followed and reasoning used by students in the sixth grade of primary school and the first year of secondary school in Quebec to solve problems involving unequal sharing. The analyses show that all students solve the problems using arithmetic. Many of these students rely strictly on arithmetic reasoning, whereas others use analytic thinking. Taking these nuances into account when introducing algebra provides for a smoother transition between arithmetic and algebra.