Towards Recording

Abstract

Behind the formal symbols of mathematics their lies a wealth of experience which provides meaning for those symbols. Attempts to rush students into symbols impoverishes the background experience and leads to trouble later. In conjunction with manipulating objects it is essential to provide time for talking about their activities and developing their own informal records before meeting the formal symbols of adult mathematicians. We present three examples of children’s work which demonstrate these steps in the struggle to move toward recording perceived patterns.