MarsheCollins

EPS541
LearningProgressionPaper

Intodaysworld,itsimportantthatweunderstandnumbersandhowtomanipulatethem.Ina
mathematicalsense,wemustbeabletofigureoutproblemsandhowtosolvethem.Inanygiven
situation,equationsandexpressionscanrepresentarealworldscenarioandaseducators,wehaveto
teachstudentshowtosetequationsupinawaythatmakessense,andthensolvefortheunknown.
Overthecourseoftheschoolyear,studentshavebeenintroducedtomanydifferentlessonsunder
equationsandexpressions.Therehavebeenmanyconceptstaughtandretaughttothemsothattheycan
graspholdofthebasicsandbuildoffofthatinformation.Throughoutthispaper,Iwilldiscussthe
progressionmade.
Theteachingofequationscanstartasearlyasthefirstgrade.Studentsaregivensmallnumbers
andoperationstosolvefortheequationpresented.Somethingassimpleas1+1=?ispresentedto
themtotestnumbersenseandtocheckiftheyknowhowtodotheoperationitself.Astimeprogresses,
studentsaregivenmoredifficultnumbersandmorechallengingoperations.Asstudentsenterseventh
grade,theyareintroducedtoexpressions,anequationminusanequalsignandanswer.Theymustbe
abletounderstandthebasicsaboutexpressionssuchashowtowriteandsaythem.Theymustalsobe
abletolookatexpressionsanddeterminewhattheyare.Astheyunderstandthebasics,theymustbe
abletowritesimpleexpressionsthatrecordcalculationswithnumbersandinterpretnumerical
expressionswithoutevaluatingthem.
Inthebeginningstages,studentsgrasptheconceptofexpressionsquickly.Veryfewstruggle
withwritingthembecausetheyarefairlyeasywhenitsa2partexpression.Exampleswouldbex+3,
5y,4/h,or5xm.Themorecomplicatedtheexpressionis,themoretimestudentsneedtounderstand
whatisbeingaskedandhowtowritetheexpression.Ittakesadeeperunderstandingofoperationsand
expressionstowrite:fourtimesanumberdividedbytwo(4xn/2)asopposedtofourtimesanumber(
4xn).Partofthebeginningalsorequiresforstudentstoidentifywhentwoexpressionsareequivalent
andforthemtobeabletoidentifypartsofanexpressionusingmathematicalterms.
Asstudentscontinuetoworkwithexpressions,theirknowledgeabouttheconceptdeepensas
theyfigureoutwhatexpressionsrepresent.Theymustalsobeabletowrite,read,andevaluate
expressionsinwhichlettersstandfornumbers,applythepropertiesofoperationstogenerateequivalent
expressions,evaluateexpressionsatspecicvaluesoftheirvariables,andunderstandsolvingan
equationorinequalityasaprocessofansweringamathexpression.Gettingadeeperunderstandingof
thematerialtakestimeandstudentsmustbewillingtoexpandtheirknowledge.Throughouttheprocess,
manyactivitiesandgameshavebeenincorporatedinwhichstudentscanworkwithpartnersandin
groupsettings.Duetothelevelofdifficultyandtheamountoftimeneededforfullunderstanding,
studentsworkbetterbybuildingoffofeachothersideasandlearningfromoneanother.
Priortomovingtotheexpertlevel,studentsmustbeabletosolveequationsinaskillfulmanner.
Whentheymakeittotheexpertlevel,studentswillnotonlybeabletouseexpressionsinmultipleways,
buttheymustalsobeabletomaketheapplicationtorealworldscenariosandevents.Theprocessof
understandingexpressionsandthenapplyingthemtotherealworldisjustthat,aprocess.Asstatedin
theHeritagearticle,learninginvolvesprogressionandteachersneedtounderstandthepathwaysalong
whichstudentsareexpectedtoprogress.Beforeanything,studentsmustunderstandwhatanexpression
is,howitlooks,andhowtowriteone.Aftergraspingtheconceptofexpressions,studentsmust
understandthedifferencebetweenexpressionsandequationsandthenbeabletosolveequations.
Finally,studentsmustbeabletoapplytheirknowledgeofexpressionsandequationstorealworld
situations.Iftheyaregivenaproblemsuchas:
Kellyhas$5.Sheneeds$12tobuyashirtthatshewantstowearforhomecoming.Howmuch
moredoessheneed?
theyshouldbeabletocreateanequationandsolveforthemissingvariable.Theywillbefacedwith
problemsthatcanbewrittenasexpressionsandequationsfortherestoftheirlife.
Therefore,itsimperativethattheygofrombasicunderstandingtoapplicationintherealworld.
Settingupanexpressionisthemostimportantstepinorderforittobesolved.Whenastudent
understandshowtosetupanexpressionfortheinformationgiven,itsaneasiertransitionforthemto
writeanexpressionbasedoffofawordproblem.Inmostwordproblems,studentsaregiven
informationtheydontneedtosolvetheproblem.However,everywordproblemgivesthestudentsthe
informationtheyneedtocomeupwiththeexpressioninorderforthemtogetananswer.Attheexpert
level,studentshavetheabilitytodecipherbetweennecessaryinformationandinformationtheyshould
ruleout.
Whengivenarealworldprobleminwhichthestudentsmustcreateanexpression,theymust
firstrealizewhatthequestionisaskingthem.Iftheydontknowwhattheyaretryingtosolvefor,they
wontbeabletosettheexpressionupcorrectly.Afterrealizingwhatsbeingasked,theyremovethe
unnecessaryinformationandkeeptheimportantinformation.Theythensetuptheexpressioninaway
thatmakessense.Theyturntheexpressionintoanequationbyputtingtheequivalency.Theysolvefor
theequationandcheckbacktoseeiftheboththeequationandanswermakessense.
Asateacher,wemustchecktoseehowthestudentisprogressingandhowwelltheyare
understandingtheinformation.InreferencetotheHeritagearticle,wemustassessaccordinglytosee
whatthestudentsaregettingandwhattheyneedmorehelpwith.Inthecasethatthestudentsgetstuck,
theteacherneedstofocusonawaytogetthestudentstounderstandthematerialbetter.Withthe
examplesgivenintheHeritagearticle,therearemisunderstandingsthatarisewhenthestudentsgofrom
solvingbasic1stepequationstomultiplestepequations.
AccordingtotheMosherarticle,teachersareobligatedtorecognizeandacceptthefactthat
studentsarentunderstandingalessonfully.Itsuptoustoassessthemproperlyandseethatthey
arentprogressingthewaythattheyshould.Inordertodothat,wemustalreadyknowwhatstepsthe
studentsshouldbetakingtogettotheexpertlevel.Afterseeingwheretheyare,wemustdetermine
whatmethodofteachingwemusttrytoensuremastery.Whilesomethingscansimplyberetaught,there
areotherthingsthattakesweeksandconstantreviewforthestudentstofullyunderstandtheconcept.
ExpressionsandEquationsisoneofthetopicsthatmustbereviewedthroughouttheyear.With
mystudents,therehadtobeconstantreview.Itsanimportantconceptthatthestudentsmustknowand
willbetestedon.Inordertopreparethemforthetest,aswellasthenextgrade,itsimportanttorevisit
thetopicasmanytimesasthestudentneed.Oneofourmaingoalsistogetstudentstohavetwoyears
ofgrowth.Withthisgoal,andtheimportanceoftheconcept,wecantaffordtomoveontosomething
newandleavecertainstudentsbehind.AsIworkedwiththelowerstudents,duringmysmallgroup
time,Iwouldputinaproblemortwodealingwithexpressionssothattheywillseeitonaregularbasis
becausetheyweretheonesthathadthemostdifficultyprogressingtotheexpertlevel.
Eachstudentlearnsatadifferentpaceandindifferentways,asweallknowalready.According
totheTheoryofTeachingarticle,weknowthatthestudentsstartwithwhateverknowledgethey
alreadyknowandthatthereisapaththattheytaketoprogressandlearnnewmaterial.Inthatsame
article,itstatesthatwedontknowthepaththeywilltaketogettothemaingoal,whichinthiscaseis
theexpertlevel.Weknowthatwewantallofthestudentstohave85%masteryontheirquiztoensure
thattheyknowenoughabouttheconcepttobeabletoread,write,andsolveequations.But,wealso
wantthemtobeabletoapplythebasicskillstorealworldsituationsandbeabletosolveword
problems.Thisunknownpathisconsideredahypotheticallearningtrajectory.Whilethetrajectories
arentexactlylinear,theyarentrandomeither.Pullingmystudentsasidetoplacetheminsmallgroups
wasmywaytoensuretheirmasterylevel.Whileallstudentsdidntcompletelymastertheconcept,Idid
gettheloweststudentwhocameinatathirdgrademathleveltonotonlyexplainwhatexpressionsare,
butalsoteachmehowtosolveafew.
Asstatedbefore,expressionsandequationsisadifficultconcepttomaster.However,itsa
scaffoldingconceptthatbuildsoffofeachotherandisrequiredtoknow.Understandingtheprogression
processisimperativetoknowasateacherinordertogetthestudentstofollowtherightpath,orone
thatissimilartotherightpath,togetasmanyofthemtomastertheconceptaspossible.Forfuture
references,Iwilltrytocreateaframinggraphicorganizerforconceptsthatbuildoffofeachother.It
setsmeuptoseewhatstudentsneedtoknowtogothroughthenovice,practitioner,andexpertlevels.
AslongasIhaveagoodideaofwhatneedstobelearnedandknown,studentshaveabetterchanceof
progressingcorrectly.

Belowisthelinktotheexpressionsconceptmap.Letmeknowifthereareanycomplicationsaccessing
it.Tryingtocopyitasapicturemadeitlooktoosmalltoreadsomeofthelinks.
ExpressionsConceptMap
References
M.Heritage(2008)LearningProgressions:SupportingInstruction&FormativeAssessment

Mosher(2011)TheRoleofLearningProgressionsinStandardsBasedEducationReform

Sztajnet.a.,(2012)LearningTrajectoryBasedInstruction:TowardatheoryofTeaching