|
This webcast, Making Algebra Work: Instructional Strategies That Deepen Student Understanding
was coordinated by The Center on February 18, 2008.
Video from the webcast (WindowsMedia system requirements).
- Complete video from the webcast
- Sections from the webcast
- Additional video from Terri Bullock's class and
Dr. Jon Star's commentary on that video.
- You may also request a DVD of the webcast video.
About the Webcast
This webcast focuses on the need for challenging mathematics courses—especially
algebra—and mathematics instructional strategies to help students learn. Geared
toward researchers, mathematics teachers at the middle school and high school levels,
district-level mathematics experts, principals, and preservice educators, the hourlong
webcast addressed the following questions:
- Just what is “algebra”?
- Why are students having trouble with it in our schools?
Importance of Mathematics
Challenging mathematics for most high school students is the “gatekeeper that either opens or shuts the doors to great opportunities,” according to a fact sheet developed by Achieve Inc., an organization established by the nation’s governors and business leaders to help prepare young people for postsecondary education, work, and citizenship.
The fact sheet points to the research on mathematics courses. Clifford Adelman’s longitudinal studies of student course-taking found that “the highest level of math taken in high school has the most powerful relationship to earning a bachelor’s degree”—regardless of ethnicity, income, or the education levels of a student’s parents. Adelman also found that high school students who complete advanced algebra “more than double their chances of earning a four-year college degree. Those who do not take challenging math courses are much more likely to end up in remedial courses and are more likely to drop out.”
Featured Speakers
Denise Walston is the senior coordinator for mathematics at Virginia's
Norfolk Public Schools, a position she has held since 1994, and an
adjunct faculty member at Old Dominion University. She has more than 30
years of experience in education and previously taught high school
mathematics. She is also a member of the management team for a National
Science Foundation-funded grant that is focused on preparing mathematics
specialists in Grades K-8. In addition to holding undergraduate and
graduate degrees in mathematics and mathematics education, she has been
a Woodrow Wilson Master Teacher.
Jon R. Star, Ph.D., is assistant professor of education at Harvard Graduate School
of Education and a former middle school and high school mathematics teacher. His current research
focuses on students’ learning of mathematics, particularly algebra. He has published in
top-tiered journals in mathematics education and educational psychology; is coauthor of a U.S.
Department of Education practice guide titled Encouraging Girls in Math and Science;
and is a coprincipal investigator on two large projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education,
one which studies the role of contrasting examples in algebra learning. He earned his doctorate in
education and psychology at the University of Michigan.
Supplemental resources recommended by Jon R. Star:
James M. Rubillo is executive director of the National Council of Teachers
of Mathematics and previously worked in public education for 36 years in a variety of roles.
He served as professor of mathematics, chairperson of the department of mathematics and computer
science, and associate dean for information systems and services at Bucks County Community College,
in Newtown, Pennsylvania, and also was a high school teacher and department chair. He was inducted
into Hall of Fame of the Pennsylvania Council of Teachers of Mathematics and was awarded an honorary
Doctor of Science degree by West Chester University.
Mike DeGraba is a retired mathematics teacher who taught for 31 years in the classrooms
of Maryland's Montgomery County Public Schools. Currently, he substitutes in middle and high schools and
is involved in the county’s Instructional TV. He is in his 15th year as cohost of Homework
Hotline Live!, an interactive program where students call in for assistance on homework, and as
host and writer of The Math Dude, an award-winning series of programs designed to support the
Algebra I curriculum.
System Requirements
To watch and listen to the live webcast, you will need an Internet connection,
a computer with speakers, and Windows Media Player (Version 9 or later).
Test System Capabilities
Click here to test your system capabilities by viewing a streaming video from our video archives.
|
