The Fostering Algebraic Thinking Toolkit-A Guide For Staff Development

by Mark Driscoll, Andrea Humez, Judith Zawojewski

Commenting on their experience at the 2002 Institute, participants cited a range of new insights and skills they gained, including how to design with purpose infuse facilitation into listening and questioning employ different strategies to manage group dynamics capitalize on diversity in mathematical thinking. As one participant noted, "It was great to learn and network with other professionals and to think more deeply about improving my techniques as a facilitator and presenter."

For more information about the Institute, contact Angela Martino at 617.969.7100, ext. 2524, or amartino@edc.org.

The "Fostering Algebraic Thinking Toolkit" is a set of professional development materials whose goal is to help mathematics teachers in grades 6-10 learn to identify, describe, and foster algebraic thinking in their students. Underlying the Toolkit is a core belief that good mathematics teaching begins with understanding how mathematics is learned. The focus here is on how students think about mathematics.

The Toolkit features four separate modules containing notes for the facilitator and reproducible blackline masters for the workshop participants. Each module concentrates on a different kind of classroom evidence and, in facilitated sessions, asks teachers to collect student and/or teacher data to share and analyze with colleagues. A module can be covered in four three-hour sessions.

Introduction and Analyzing Written Student Work
This module gives participants an opportunity to analyze students' written work for evidence of algebraic thinking, and to become comfortable with the language of the algebraic habits of mind, before moving on to one of the other modules. Each of the three remaining modules builds on the work done here.

Genres: Education, Mathematics, Teaching

236 pages, Ring-bound

First published April 19, 1999

About the author

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Reviews

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers a whole new framework for thinking about algebraic reasoning. It's the type of read that makes you want to go back and rethink your entire curriculum--in a good way. As a math coach, I'm going to try and use the ideas, questions, and tasks in this book as an anchor for my 6th - 8th teachers.

I'm not a fan of the book's organization. But that's my only qualm. Someone mentioned that the book is dated, but I couldn't disagree more. The current climate of the common core demands that we develop students' thinking. The problems in this book are some of the best I've ever seen!! They're simply worded, and incredibly open-ended. A group of teachers could develop their own algebraic reasoning by delving into some of these problems!

Thanks, Mark Driscoll!

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mathematics tasks, on almost every page.

Yes, I read this for school. It was a great asset to the class, though, and both Algebraic Thinking and Geometric Thinking are well written and not conflated like so many other books in this vein.

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for the class I had to take by law to recertify.
Not a bad book, but not a new book either.
More recent research is available.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important ideas for all grade levels, curriculum and lesson planning. I especially like the stance of multiple models, coaching through specific questions, setting up the culture and essential questions that makes for an exciting and inclusive math classroom.