Foundations of Algebra

This project promotes elementary-grade classrooms that focus on students’ verbalization and justification of generalizations about the behavior of math operations. Such a focus prepares students for algebra at the same time that it supports the development of computational fluency. The project selects experienced teacher-writers who produce readable and informative accounts of their work with students as they develop, represent, and justify general claims across a full school year. These accounts form the basis of a book that addresses what such general claims are, how they can be introduced into elementary classrooms, the nature of proof at this level, and how this work supports the range of learners, including students who tend to excel in computation as well as those who struggle. The book, in turn, forms the basis of an online course, which will be piloted and field tested.