How can educators encourage and better prepare students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-based fields? To start, students are more likely to pursue these fields if they enjoy and perceive themselves to be good at them. This means introducing relevant concepts and skills at an early age and embedding them…

Sixty-five fourth-grade, fifth-grade and sixth-grade teachers in the Midwestern United States participated in professional development opportunities designed to increase their mathematics content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge over a two-year series of workshops. Through the use of pre-tests and post-tests assessing content knowledge and…

Algebra instruction has traditionally been postponed until adolescence because of historical reasons (algebra emerged relatively recently), assumptions about psychological development ("developmental constraints" and "developmental readiness"), and data documenting the difficulties that adolescents have with algebra. Here we…

This article describes an approach to teaching linear equations using multiple representations in a highly motivating context. Connections among representations are made explicit to enhance understanding and empower students. (Contains 4 figures.)