Teaching for Understanding and Its Impact on Students' Learning in Algebra

In this webinar we will discuss a student-centered framework used to promote understanding of algebraic procedures. Using student work samples we will demonstrate how traditional mathematics tasks can be enriched to support the development of deeper algebraic knowledge. We will also present the impact of a yearlong teaching for understanding program on students' learning, including recommendations and resources for enriching algebra in your school.

Guest Speakers:

Jennifer Kosiak
Jennifer Kosiak is an Associate Professor of Mathematics with a Mathematics Education Specialization at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. Throughout her teaching career she has taught students ranging from grade 4 through college. Currently she teaches mathematics courses for elementary, middle, and secondary education students. Over the past five years she has been involved in several professional development projects for PK-12 teachers including Teaching for Understanding in Algebra, Integrating Reading and Writing in the Mathematics Classroom, and Creating Digital Learning Objects for Enhancing Student Learning in Mathematics.

Jon Hasenbank
Jon Hasenbank is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics with a Math Education Specialization at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. He frequently teaches courses for pre-service teachers in addition to more traditional mathematics coursework. His research focuses on how students come to understand mathematical procedures (especially in algebra). In recent years he has also worked on a number of professional development projects, including Teaching for Understanding in Algebra, as well as K-12 outreach programs such as STEM Saturdays, Girls in Science, and Young Scholars.

Making Ambitious Mathematics Learnable By All

As we move toward a more ambitious set of mathematical goals for our nation's youth, how will we ensure that all students succeed? This presentation will focus on the work of teaching, identifying practices of teaching toward complex mathematical outcomes for all learners, including enacting and enabling high expectations, making mathematical practices and language explicit; and using homework and applications in ways that are sensitive to diversity.

Guest Speaker:

Deborah Loewenberg Ball, Dean of the School of Education and William H. Payne Collegiate Professor at the University of Michigan
Deborah Loewenberg Ball is Dean of the School of Education and William H. Payne Collegiate Professor at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on mathematics instruction, and on interventions designed to improve its quality and effectiveness. Her research groups study the nature of the mathematical knowledge needed for teaching and develop survey measures that make possible analyses of the relations among teachers' mathematical knowledge, the quality of their teaching, and their students' performance. Ball has authored or co-authored over 150 publications and has lectured and made numerous major presentations around the world. Her research has been recognized with several awards and honors, and she has served on several national and international commissions and panels focused on policy initiatives and the improvement of education, including, most recently, the National Mathematics Advisory Panel.