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星大学的教师领导的项目《培养初中生代数：探索早期代数的影响》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度。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成功地学习代数。该项目还在开发和验证评估工具，以评估学生在基本的代数前数学理解方面的进展。该项目的基本假设是，需要将先前关于早期代数学习的研究结果整合到一个连贯的小学数学纵向课程链中，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度的高质量评估。本项目利用内容分析、早期代数研究文献的综合和课堂教学实验来制作和测试课程学习进度和教学资源。评估工具正在使用标准的心理测量学技术进行开发和验证。由于任何早期代数材料的最终用途都取决于如何设计它们，以便典型的小学教师能够有效地使用它们，该项目也在进行教师专业发展的探索性工作。这项工作为作者设想的后续大规模比较研究奠定了基础，该研究旨在检验这样一种假设，即小学早期适当的代数经验将促进以后年级的形式代数学习。

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.