How an ambitious informatics curriculum can influence algebraic thinking of primary school children

Abstract

In this paper we describe the special case of an informatics curriculum implemented in a primary school, and the observed learning outcomes. The particularity of this curriculum is based on both the variety of the contents and on their apparent complexity. The children experienced different programming languages, including one text-based, and became confident with many educational robotics kits such as Lego WeDo, MBot and Arduino. During this path, children appeared strongly involved also in dealing with complex challenges and seemed to have developed their mathematical thinking. In particular, even if they had never worked with the formal structures of algebra during the math classes, children appeared confident with the concept of variable found in programming. For this reason, we decided to investigate whether these competencies applied even to mathematics, using a well-known national test developed to gauge the level of skills and selecting some questions related to algebra and designed for 8th grade students. The results that emerged were encouraging, suggesting that informatics could be useful in reinforcing algebraic thinking and introducing some mathematical concepts particularly complex for many students, such as variables.