Autores:
Yulia Solovieva, José Rodríguez Zavaleta, Andrea Celeste Rosete Carrillo, Luis Quintanar y Valeriya Plotnikova
Resumen:
Introduction: The process of teaching and learning mathematics in primary
school represents an obstacle for both teachers and pupils. According to the
historical-cultural conception of development and education, the way how
intellectual concepts are initially introduced may radically affect a student’s
success in learning. The historical-cultural conception of development, together
with activity theory, may serve as the basis for creating a novel methodology
for pedagogical work on mathematical concepts with pre-school and school
children.
Methods: The goal of the present study was to show the effects of work with an
original program for the initial introduction of mathematical concepts to young
school children. The program included reflexive symbolic and logical actions on
the materialized and perceptual level, which were introduced and performed
collectively by six-year-old children under the guidance and assistance of a
teacher. The pupils were tested before and after their work with the program.
Results: The results showed important qualitative and quantitative progress by
the children in solving the tasks of the assessment, together with an increment of
reflection on their intellectual actions.
Discussion: The study points to the necessity for more intensive and extensive
research, involving specialists in psychology and pedagogy trained in cultural-
historical methodology.