RUI: Discovery Research K-12: Developing Algebra-Ready Students for Middle School: Exploring the Impact of Early Algebra

由马萨诸塞大学达特茅斯分校和威斯康辛大学的教师领导的“为中学培养具备代数能力的学生：探索早期代数的影响”项目正在为3 - 5年级的学生开发和测试早期代数目标和活动的课程学习进展。这项工作的目标是为教师提供课程指导和教学资源，帮助学生在中学阶段的代数学习中取得成功。该项目还开发和验证评估工具，以评估学生在基本的预代数数学理解方面的进展。该项目的基本假设是，先前关于早期代数学习的研究结果需要整合到小学数学的连贯纵向课程链中，并且有效利用这些课程资源还需要教师获得对学生学习进展的高质量评估。本项目采用内容分析、综合早期代数研究文献、课堂教学实验等方法，对课程学习进度和教学资源进行生产和测试。评估工具正在使用标准的心理测量技术进行开发和验证。由于任何早期代数教材的最终效用取决于如何设计它们，使典型的小学教师能够有效地使用它们，因此该项目也在教师的专业发展方面进行探索性工作。这项工作为随后的大规模比较研究奠定了基础，以检验小学阶段适当的早期代数经验将促进以后年级形式代数的学习这一假设。

The project Developing Algebra-Ready Students for Middle School: Exploring the Impact of Early Algebra, led by faculty at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and the University of Wisconsin is developing and testing a curricular learning progression of early algebra objectives and activities for students in grades 3 - 5. The goal of the work is to provide teachers with curricular guidance and instructional resources that are useful in preparing students for success in study of algebra at the middle grade level. The project is also developing and validating assessment tools for evaluating student progress toward essential pre-algebra mathematical understandings.The basic hypothesis of the project is that findings from prior research on early algebra learning need to be consolidated into a coherent longitudinal curriculum strand in elementary school mathematics and that effective use of such curricular resources also requires teacher access to high quality assessments of student learning progress. The project is using content analysis, synthesis of the research literature on early algebra, and classroom teaching experiments to produce and test the curricular learning progression and teaching resources. The assessment instruments are being developed and validated using standard psychometric techniques.Since the ultimate utility of any early algebra materials depends on designing them in such a way that typical elementary teachers can use them effectively, the project is also conducting exploratory work on professional development of teachers. This work lays the groundwork for what the proposers envision to be a subsequent large scale comparative study to test the hypothesis that appropriate early algebra experiences in elementary grades will enhance learning of formal algebra in later grades.