Learning to Support Young Mathematicians at Work: An Early Algebra Resource for Professional Development (Context for Learning Mathematics)

"Our digital-lab environment provides an active, more meaningful professional development experience, which empowers teachers to integrate theory and practice. We offer teachers the opportunity to embark upon their own landscape of learning journey."
--Catherine Twomey Fosnot

The bestselling Young Mathematicians at Work series has helped tens of thousands of teachers inspire deep mathematical understanding in students with its signature workshop approach. The Contexts for Learning Mathematics series has helped even more teachers bring that approach into their classrooms to align their math program to the Standards of Practice in the Common Core. Now Cathy Fosnot and her colleagues have developed an invaluable resource that gives teachers ownership of the core ideas and essential understandings of early algebra. Learning to Support Young Mathematicians at Work offers Professional Development providers interactive, meaningful tools to help teachers deepen their algebraic thinking within a unique digital environment.

Two DVDs feature classroom sessions that show students exploring the sequence of investigations and activities found in the popular Contexts for Learning Mathematics algebra unit books Trades, Jumps, and Stops and The California Frog-Jumping Contest. Extensive classroom video footage allows participants to study children over time, and examine and analyze their development as well as the teacher's pedagogy. The user can respond to prompts, create video clips and presentations, and explore related materials all from the DVD, either alone at home or in a workshop setting.

The PD facilitator's guide features a flexible menu of workshops, ranging from two-hour sessions that focus on a particular topic to comprehensive 5-day institutes. As participants engage in the investigations, they build their own conceptual and pedagogical understanding of algebra and proof, questioning and conferring, observing children at work in mathematics, and using the powerful tools of context and representations. These learning experiences foster teachers' algebraic thinking and set the stage for robust and active classroom practice that promotes students' deep understanding.

The DVDs are also available individually without the facilitator guide for teachers who may prefer to study the material outside of a workshop setting.
Trades, Jumps and Stops DVD
California Frog Jumping Contest DVD

NOTE: The DVD-ROMs are compatible with Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OS X up to 10.6. They are not compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) or above.