Success in Algebra is critical to success in mathematics. Algebra serves as a gatekeeper to later mathematics, and access to algebra has expanded to more diverse populations of students in recent decades. Yet algebra instruction has shifted focus over time from rules, procedures, and symbolic manipulation to functional relationships, patterns and structure, contextualized problems, and algebraic thinking and reasoning—aspects of instruction that aren't always addressed by general instructional approaches.
This session from the University of Delaware Partnership for Public Education features a free instructional toolkit co-designed by researchers and algebra teachers to help you support your students to become fluent and flexible problem-solvers and to better understand the "why" behind the concepts. The resources in this toolkit reflect a research-based framework (Quality of Instructional Practice in Algebra) that outlines five aspects of instruction that support algebra learning: supporting procedural flexibility, making sense of procedures, connecting across representations, situating the mathematics, and building connections between numeric and abstract algebraic ideas. The session will be an opportunity to explore the framework and toolkit and learn ways to use the resources in your classroom.
