Understanding and Teaching Algebra

Catalog description

This course will reinforce basic algebra concepts, present participants with advanced algebra topics, and present algebra as a modeling and a problem solving technique. The course will emphasize the understanding of the structure of algebra, polynomials, rational functions, and creating reasoning with equations and inequalities. Students will investigate how these topics connect to the algebra that is taught in the middle and high school grades. The course will integrate seamlessly concepts and methods of teaching algebra. After researching best practices, students will present a lesson on one of these topics. A discussion of the best practices and biggest challenges of teaching such a topic will be discussed by the group as they critique each lesson. Every student in the class will be expected to present and evaluate the work of their peers.