PROCEEDINGS OF THE 18TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2015
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Elementary mathematics pre-service teachers’ consequential transitions from formal to early algebra
Page: 603
Mathematics educators have long advocated for early algebra to be introduced into the elementary grades. However, little research is currently available to inform teacher preparation programs about the work of preparing undergraduate pre-service teachers for teaching early algebra. The research reported here examines the experiences of undergraduate pre-service teachers as they make consequential transitions from formal to early algebra. Preliminary results suggest that making this transition is far from trivial for undergraduates and that, to varying degrees, they face four kinds of conceptual challenges.