Technological revolution in American schools and the Center for Algebraic Thinking

Presented by Steve Rhine, The University of Nottingham

Many factors are converging to push schools in the USA towards adopting tablets or laptops for every student. These developments are significant for teacher educators, policy makers, and textbook publishers. This seminar will begin by examining those factors and implications for teachers and then move to a discussion of the work of the Center for Algebraic Thinking in the context of this technological change.

Algebra is taught to students age 12-15 in the USA. Historically, the Algebra I course has become the gatekeeper to universities. If the student passes Algebra, they are much more likely to go on to a university; if not, they go to work in low-paying fields. In a recent study, 44% of students in Los Angeles failed and 17% received D’s (barely passing).

In 2010, seven universities in the northwest USA were awarded a four-year U.S. Department of Education grant to examine the wealth of research that has accumulated over the past three to four decades regarding why algebra is challenging for students. A group of 17 teachers and math education professors read over 850 articles over the course of a year in search of information that might prove useful to beginning teachers. The result is the Center for Algebraic Thinking with a database that includes videos, formative assessment problems, twenty iPad apps, and an Encyclopedia of Algebraic Thinking.