Understanding and Culivating the Transition
from Arithmetic to Algebraic Reasoning
This project seeks to understand the development
of middle school students' algebraic reasoning, to understand the
conditions and pedagogy necessary to facilitate students' transition
from concrete arithmetic reasoning to abstract algebraic reasoning,
and to develop professional development materials designed to support
teachers in fostering the development of students' algebraic reasoning.
Our goal is to develop sufficiently detailed accounts of learning
and instruction in classroom contexts to guide the design and evaluation
of instructional approaches and professional development programs
aimed at facilitating students' algebraic development. This project
is part of a larger collaborative study that includes colleagues
at the University
of Colorado-Boulder and Carnegie
Mellon University. Our research studies are components of a
multi-disciplinary approach toward the study of algebraic learning
and instruction that are the focus of the larger study.
This 5 year project is funded through a grant
from the Interagency
Education Research Initiative (IERI).
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