Welcome to This is NOT Your Mothers Algebra

1
Welcome to This is NOT Your Mothers
Algebra

• Anne Bartel Kristin Johnson for the
• MCTM Algebra Task Force
• MCTM Spring Conference
• May 1, 2009

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Teaching Thought for the Day
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Session Pre-Assessment

• Answer True or False to the following question
• Your textbook determines the algebra concepts and
  skills that you should cover at a particular
  grade level.

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Session Pre-Assessment

• Answer True or False to the following question
• Your textbook determines the algebra concepts and
  skills that you should cover at a particular
  grade level.
• ?TRUE FALSE?
• ?
• dont know

5
Session Pre-Assessment

• Answer True or False to the following question
• 2. Algebra content has been shifted down and now
  starts in the middle grades.
• ?TRUE FALSE?
• ?
• dont know

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Session Pre-Assessment

• Answer True or False to the following question
• 3. Under current Minnesota state law, students
  must satisfactorily complete an algebra 1 credit
  by the end of eighth grade.
• ?TRUE FALSE?
• ?
• dont know

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Session Pre-Assessment

• Answer True or False to the following question
• 4. This 8th grade Algebra course is the same
  Algebra I course that your mother had in high
  school that is, if you teach a traditional
  Algebra I course in 8th grade, you will meet the
  requirements in the law.

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Session Pre-Assessment

• Answer True or False to the following question
• 5. We know much more now about teaching Algebra
  successfully than we did twenty years ago.

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Goals for the Day

• Answer these questions.
• Get you talking and thinking about algebra in the
  4-12 curriculum.

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Whos Here?

• What grade level do you teach or would you like
  to teach?
• 1 finger elementary grades (k-5)
• 2 fingers middle school (6-8)
• 3 fingers high school (9-12)

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Form small groups

• Try to get at least one representative of each
  grade level group in your small group.
• Get acquainted what do you know now about
  teaching algebra that you didnt know before you
  started teaching?

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Q1

• Your textbook determines the algebra concepts and
  skills that you should cover at a particular
  grade level.
• In a standards-based system, the state standards
  are your bible, the textbook is only a tool.
• NCLB demands that all state education systems
  are based on standards.

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That is

• Algebra equals
• the algebra standards and benchmarks at your
  grade level in the MN Academic Standards

• Algebra DOES NOT equal

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TASK

• Work with your group members.
• Sort the algebra standards into the appropriate
  grade levels.
• When you finish, ask us for the answer key.

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Distribution of Standards

• Kindergarten-1
• Grade 1 has 2
• Grade 2 has 2
• Grade 3 has 2
• Grade 4 has 2
• Grade 5 has 3
• Grade 6 has 3
• Grade 7 has 4
• Grade 8 has 4
• Grades 9-11 have 4

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Q2

• Algebra content has been shifted down and now
  starts in the middle grades.
• Algebra and algebraic thinking are integrated
  across K-11 in the state standards. Every teacher
  has to do his/her part to give students the
  opportunity to learn the grade-level content.

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Student Success in Algebra is the Ultimate Team
Challenge

• I cant be successful teaching students the
  algebra in grade x if you dont address the
  algebra in grades ?x-1, x-2, x-(x-1)?

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Q3

• 3. Under recent state law, students must
  satisfactorily complete an algebra 1 credit by
  the end of eighth grade.
• The commissioner in the 2006-07 school year
  must revise and align the states academic
  standards and high school graduation requirements
  in mathematics to require that students
  satisfactorily complete the revised mathematics
  standards, beginning in the 2010-2011 school
  year. Under the revised standards

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Q3 (continued)

• Students must satisfactorily complete an algebra
  I credit by the end of eighth grade and
• Students scheduled to graduate in the 2014-2015
  school year or later must satisfactorily complete
  an algebra II credit or its equivalent.
• 120B.023, MN Statute, 2007

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BUT
TRADITIONAL ALGEBRA I
21
BUT
TRADITIONAL ALGEBRA I
8th GRADE STANDARDS
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Q4

• 4. This course is the same Algebra I course that
  your mother had in high school that is, if you
  teach a traditional Algebra I course in 8th
  grade, you will meet the requirements in the law.
• If you teach a traditional Algebra I course to
  8th graders, call it Algebra I and be sure
  you understand what parts of the course will be
  assessed in the 8th grade MCAs.

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Q5

• We know much more now about teaching Algebra
  successfully than we did twenty years ago.
• YES!
• The good news is that only 3 things need to
  change!

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The bad news is that those 3 things are

• Content
• Instruction
• Assessment

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TASK

• Get acquainted with the problem.
• Work it
• Think about how students might approach it.

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Beams Problem from MiC
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Algebraic Thinking in the 7th Grade Classroom

• Number off in 3s
• Is this your mothers Algebra?
• Person 1 watch for changes in content
• Person 2 watch for changes in instruction
• Person 3 watch for changes in assessment

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Reflect Discuss

• What did you see?
• What did you hear?
• How is this similar to traditional algebra?
• How is this different from the algebra you
  learned in school?

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Q5

• We know more now than we did 20 years ago. . .
• We know more about how the brain works, the
  implications for effective classroom instruction
  and the need to differentiate instruction.
• We have learned how important it is to make
  connections within math and between math strands
  and the real world.
• We know more about student misconceptions around
  equality, ratio and proportion and pattern that
  get in the way of understanding algebra.

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Goals for the Day

• Answer these questions.
• Get you talking and thinking about algebra in the
  4-12 curriculum.
• EVALUATION
• How did we do?
• How did you do?
• How will we ALL do by the students?