Presented by Sharon Keegan

Director of Mathematics

CREC Magnet Schools

BUILDING CAPACITY IN TEACHING ALGEBRA

THE FLIPPED PD

Allows the teacher to customize which workshops they need according to their individual needs

Algebra content in the CCSS begins in earnest in middle school

Lack of district/school PD days for content area focus

Meets the requirements of SEED, 4A: Engaging in Continuous Professional Growth

Reflection Using Feedback

Initiative and Leadership

WHY THE “FLIPPED PD”?

RESOURCE

TEACHERS LEARN:

KEY ALGEBRAIC CONCEPTS

EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES FOR HELPING STUDENTS LEARN ALGEBRA

ADDRESS TOPICS WITH WHICH STUDENTS TYPICALLY

HAVE DIFFICULTY

GOALS AND EXPECTATIONSFOR THE FLIPPED PD

Decide on a workshopComplete the workshop at your

own pace and convenienceConduct the lesson in your

classroomPost your reflections on Edmodo to

share feedback with colleaguesSubmit evidence of completion by

completing “going further” questions & “homework assignment” in your journal to CREC Director of Mathematics

Upon verification of completion, a certificate will be issued to the teacher.

Share your certificate with your evaluator as evidence of professional growth

PROCESS

In these activities, you will learn ways that students can:Analyze a problem situation and write an equation to model the information.Use drawings and pictures to help them generalize and write a formula.Determine if different formulas are equivalent.Understand the meaning of area and perimeter, and their relation to each other.Solve linear equations using manipulatives.Solve linear equations using algebra.Check and verify that the solution to an equation is correct.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR WORKSHOP 1

Part 1: Translating Words Into Symbols

In this lesson students will recognize patterns and represent situations using algebraic notation and variables.

Part 2: Linear Equations

In this lesson, students use manipulatives to represent visually the steps they take to obtain a solution to an algebraic equation. They develop an understanding of the connections between the solution involving manipulatives and the symbolic solution.

WORKSHOP #1VARIABLES AND PATTERNS OF CHANGE

WATCH VIDEO

WORKSHOP 1, PART 1

http://www.learner.org/vod/login.html?returnurl=/workshops/algebra/workshop1/index.html&pid=2096

A What aspects of cooperative learning did you see as being particularly effective in this lesson?

B Discuss the students’ misconceptions concerning area and perimeter relationships.

C How did the students resolve these misconceptions by the end of the lesson?

D Discuss students’ use of informal language in the video. In what ways might teachers help students move beyond informal language?

E Discuss the significant differences between the two problems Janel posed. In what ways did the second problem build on the first?

F Discuss Janel’s teaching strategy and style. What specific examples of effective teaching stood out in your mind as you watched the lesson?

WATCH VIDEO

WORKSHOP 1, PART 2

A Discuss the use of the cups-and-chips model. What concepts did it help students understand better than they might have had they not used

manipulatives? B Discuss whether or not adding a negative chip to both sides of the equation is the same as subtracting a chip from both sides of the equation. How does the cups-and-chips model reinforce the algebraic steps the students use?

C Discuss the method of checking answers that Jenny used as compared with the method Miriam Leiva endorsed. Are the two methods

significantly different?

D Discuss the way Jenny rotated students through stations as a way to practice solving equations. What were some of the benefits of this

approach?

E Discuss Jenny’s use of white boards as a teaching strategy in her class. What other strategies might have a similar benefit?

F Discuss the importance of having students use the cups-and-chips model and write the algebraic steps at the same time.

ADDITIONAL STEPS WHEN READY

http://www.learner.org/resources/series66.html26 half hour videos on how algebra is used for solving real-world problems. Clear explanations of concepts that students often struggle with. Includes applications in geometry and calculus.