EXPLORING LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PRIMARY TEACHERS: THE CASE OF KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHING EARLY ALGEBRA

Abstract

Understanding how to constitute and develop opportunities for primary teachers teach early algebra to younger children is still an important research gap. In this paper, we bring results of a research program developed in Brazil over the past five years. We aim to discuss how professional learning opportunities emerged when teachers collectively planned, discussed, and analyzed lessons involving different meanings of the equality symbol and the development of functional thinking. Developed from the perspective of a qualitative-interpretative research, data analyzed consists of curriculum documents, protocols for the resolution of formative tasks, audios and videos collected during teacher education processes for in-service teachers. The results highlight that professional learning tasks, combined with the actions of teacher educators during collective discussions, favored in-service teachers to differentiate and understand the students’ reasoning. Some implications for teacher education as well as the professional development of primary teachers are discussed, especially regarding early algebra thinking, because teachers do not normally have the opportunity to study these contents on their own experiences in school.