Toward an Algebra Acquisition Support System: A Study Based on Using Graphic Calculators in the Classroom

This article discusses the results of a study that focused on using graphic calculators. The algebraic code of the calculator was used to introduce 11- to 12-year-old students to algebraic language as a tool for modeling and solving problems, relating this to their previous arithmetical experience and their evolving use of symbolic language. This study provided empirical evidence for the potential of conceiving algebra as a language and teaching it as a language-in-use, supported by the graphic calculator. The teaching approach was based on Bruner's (1983) research on natural language acquisition. Bruner claimed that natural language is taught and that the adult shapes the environment such that children can learn the rudiments of their mother tongue through its use, without needing to know syntactical rules and definitions. The main aim of this study was to investigate the outcomes of an algebra learning scheme based on Bruner's theory of language acquisition.