Roots of algebraic thinking in young students: an exploratory study

This paper presents an exploratory study in which three students work together to solve a patterning task. Patterns are increasingly studied in mathematics education research as a basis to introduce algebraic thinking in the early years. The topic of patterns is also relevant for the curricular Standards. We adopt here the new materialist perspective of distributed agency and exteriority of thought, for centring on the ways the interaction of the students develops, and the assemblage of the students, the activity paper and the given sequence moves towards a progression of knowledge.