University of Arizona
Institute for Mathematics and Education

Making Connections, 2007

This year's focus is on developing algebraic thinking in elementary grades.

Participants

Arizona team

  • Dina Chavez, Mission Manor Elementary
  • Marta Civil, UA
  • Norma (Guadalupe) Diaz, Menlo Park Elementary
  • Kristi Hamblen, Mission Manor Elementary
  • Leslie Kahn, UA
  • William McCallum, UA
  • Rebecca McGraw, UA
  • Cameron McLeman, UA
  • Anna Urias, Mission Manor Elementary

California team

  • Katy Early, California State University, Chico
  • Benjamin Levitt, California State University, Chico
  • Sharon Sloan, Marigold Elementary

Illinois team

  • Allison Castro, UIUC
  • Jeremy Teitelbaum, UIUC
  • Mona Teitelbaum, Abraham Lincoln Elementary

Workshop, June 28–30

Day one

  • 9:00–9:30: Introductions and Orientation
  • 9:30–10:30: Content analysis of problems in disciplinary groups (educators, mathematicians, teachers)
  • 10:30–11:00: Break
  • 11:00–12:00: Reports on disciplinary meetings
  • 12:00–1:00: Lunch at IME
  • 1:00–4:00: Teacher presentations of their students' work
  • Homework: read through Deborah Schifter's class descriptions

Day two

  • 9:00–10:30: Meet in regional teams (Arizona, California, Illinois), choose a particular problem or set of problems and student work to look at, and a particular mathematical or pedagogical point that they illustrate, and plan a student task around these points.
  • 10:30–11:00: Break
  • 11:00–12:00: Reports on regional meetings
  • 12:00–1:00: Lunch
  • 1:00–3:00: Regional groups write first drafts of tasks
  • 3:00–4:00: Whole group presentation of tasks

Day three

  • 9:00–10:30: Write second drafts, including surrounding commentary and directions
  • 10:30–11:00: Break
  • 11:00–12:00: Read through drafts
  • 12:00–1:00: Lunch
  • 1:00–3:00: Whole group presentation, critique, and discussion. Discussion of plans for possible regional workshops.

The Algebra Problems

This year we are using these problems about odd and even numbers. The document also contains some case studies on how these problems have worked out in the classroom.