This book confronts the issue of how young people can find a way into the world of algebra. It represents multiple perspectives which include an analysis of situations in which algebra is an efficient problem-solving tool, the use of computer-based technologies, and a consideration of the historical evolution of algebra. The book emphasizes the situated nature of algebraic activity as opposed to being concerned with identifying students' conceptions in isolation from problem-solving activity.

Approaches to Algebra.- The Historical Origins of Algebraic Thinking.- The Production of Meaning for Algebra: A Perspective Based on a Theoretical Model of Semantic Fields.- A Model for Analysing Algebraic Processes of Thinking.- The Structural Algebra Option Revisited.- Transformation and Anticipation as Key Processes in Algebraic Problem Solving.- Historical-Epistemological Analysis in Mathematics Education: Two Works in Didactics of Algebra.- Curriculum Reform and Approaches to Algebra.- Propositions Concerning the Resolution of Arithmetical-Algebraic Problems.- Beyond Unknowns and Variables - Parameters and Dummy Variables in High School Algebra.- From Arithmetic to Algebraic Thinking by Using a Spreadsheet.- General Methods: A Way of Entering the World of Algebra.- Reflections on the Role of the Computer in the Development of Algebraic Thinking.- Symbolic Arithmetic vs Algebra the Core of a Didactical Dilemma.