The bar model as a pictorial representation to support problem solving in the 1st cycle of basic education
AUTHORS
Carlos Pereira dos Santos | cmfsantos@fc.ul.pt | University of Lisbon
Ricardo Cunha Teixeira | ricardo.ec.teixeira@uac.pt | NICA-UAc & FCT-UAc
Elizabeth Barbosa | EBI Canto da Maia
SUMMARY
The bar model is a trademark of the well-known Singapore method, which has been widely applied in many countries. This article seeks to explain the educational potential of the bar model in promoting the understanding of fundamental concepts and procedures of Elementary Mathematics, in the context of solving arithmetic problems, that is, problems based on the four arithmetic operations. By constructing a bar diagram, students can represent, through a pictorial record, the known and unknown quantities and understand the relationships between these quantities, in order to gain a better understanding of the problem, which stimulates the development of mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills. Throughout the article, a sequence of learning the bar model is presented, with a progressive increase in the level of difficulty throughout the 1st Cycle of Basic Education.
KEYWORDS
Elementary mathematics, problem solving, bar model, Singapore method, 1st Cycle of Basic Education
RELEVANT DATES
Published: 2021/12/21
Received: 2021/11/21