Using Math Pathways & Pitfalls to Promote Algebra Readiness

“利用数学途径和陷阱促进代数准备”是一个为期4年的全面研究和开发项目，该项目为初中学生和教师的专业发展创造了一套材料，以支持早期代数的学习。基于他们之前的初级版本的工作，效能研究侧重于材料的基本原则的实施，材料使用的保真度以及对学生学习的影响。该项目的目标是：1)开发一本MPP书籍和配套材料，专门介绍代数准备的内容和技能；2)研究MPP如何改变教学实践，以提高学生的代数准备和元认知技能；3)通过大规模随机对照试验验证MPP在提高学生代数准备方面的有效性。迭代设计和有效性研究产生了基于研究的材料，以增加学生对代数核心概念的学习准备。虽然该项目的重点是代数准备，研究也检查了MPP教学方法的有效性。MPP课程结构旨在帮助学生通过理解、课堂讨论和使用多种视觉表现来面对常见的误解，即“陷阱”。如果MPP的教学方法被证明是成功的，课程结构可以作为一个有效的教学框架，扩展到数学和其他学科的其他内容领域。该项目解决了教育方面的一个关键需求，其潜在影响很大。美国学生的数学成绩没有跟上国际水平。目前的项目侧重于代数准备技能，这是一个对未来数学成功至关重要的领域。代数通常是通往更高级数学的大门，而代数的表现与大学的成功和长期的收入潜力有关。纵向研究表明，参加严格的高中数学课程的学生从大学毕业的可能性是没有参加的学生的两倍。因此，为学生做好充分的代数准备可以极大地影响学生的教育成果。目前的项目扩大了代表性不足的学生群体对数学和后来需要很强数学技能的科学课程的参与。干预建立在材料和教学技术的基础上，这些材料和教学技术已经证明了对不同学生的积极影响。目标地区有大量英语学习者和传统上在STEM中代表性不足的群体的学生样本，因此我们可以评估干预对这些人群的影响。项目结束后，教师和地区可以通过我们的网站www.wested.org/mpp随时获得出版质量的材料。

Project SummaryUsing Math Pathways & Pitfalls to Promote Algebra Readiness is a 4-year Full Research and Development project that creates a set of materials for middle grades students and teacher professional development that would support the learning of early algebra. Building on their prior work with an elementary version, the efficacy study focuses on the implementation of the principals underlying the materials, fidelity of use of the materials, and impact on students' learning.The project's goals are to: 1) develop an MPP book and companion materials dedicated to algebra readiness content and skills, 2) investigate how MPP transforms pedagogical practices to improve students' algebra readiness and metacognitive skills, and 3) validate MPP's effectiveness for improving students' algebra readiness with a large-scale randomized controlled trial.The iterative design and efficacy studies produce research-based materials to increase student learning of core concepts in algebra readiness. Though the focus of the project is algebra readiness, the study also examines the validity of the pedagogical approach of MPP. The MPP lesson structures are designed to help students confront common misconceptions, dubbed "pitfalls," through sense-making, class discussions, and the use of multiple visual representations. If the pedagogical approach of MPP proves to be successful, the lesson structures can be presented as an effective framework for instruction that extends to other content areas in mathematics and other disciplines.The project addresses a critical need in education, and the potential impact is large. Math achievement in the U.S. is not keeping pace with international performance. The current project focuses on algebra readiness skills, an area that is critical for future success in mathematics. Algebra often serves as a gatekeeper to more advanced mathematics, and performance in algebra has been linked to success in college and long-term earnings potential. Longitudinal studies indicate that students taking rigorous high school mathematics courses are twice as likely to graduate from college as those who do not. Thus, adequately preparing students for algebra can dramatically affect educational outcomes for students. The current project broadens the participation of underrepresented groups of students in math and later science classes that require strong math skills. The intervention builds on materials and pedagogical techniques that have demonstrated positive outcomes for diverse students. The targeted districts have large samples of English language learners and students from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM so that we may evaluate the impact of the intervention on these populations. At the end of the project, the publication quality materials will be readily available to teachers and districts through our website www.wested.org/mpp.