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Title: Thinking With Algebra (TWA): A Project and Perspective
Thinking with Algebra (TWA) is a project to develop algebra curriculum for college classes. The overall goal is to develop curricular materials that will help prepare students conceptually for college algebra. The project is described and the importance of algebraic structure as a theoretical consideration is explained.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2021414
NSF-PAR ID:
10294924
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Editor(s):
W. S. Walker, III; null; null; null
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Indiana STEM Education Conference
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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    Walker, WS ; Bryan, LA ; Guzey, E (Ed.)
    Thinking With Algebra (TWA) is a National Science Foundation Project (DUE 2021414) to develop a post-secondary curriculum for intermediate algebra. TWA focuses on six elements that align with building algebraic fluency with conceptual understanding, a mixed review approach, small-group work, and whole-class discussion (Feikes, et al., 2021). Using an equity lens (Oppland-Cordell et al., 2024), TWA is designed for students, including underrepresented students, who need additional mathematical supports at the college level. Seventeen college math instructors attended a workshop on the lessons and pedagogy in order to use TWA in their college courses. Feedback from instructors participating in the TWA first-year faculty workshop indicated that the curriculum was used in many different ways to help prepare students for college algebra and other STEM courses. 
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  2. ( , Proceedings of the seventh annual Indiana STEM Conference. West Lafayette, IN)
    s research brief will share insights from using the curriculum, Thinking With Algebra (TWA), a National Science Foundation Project (DUE 2021414). The focus will be on the value of using this curriculum when working specifically with students who have taken Algebra I and Algebra II in high school, but were not prepared for college algebra or precalculus. This curriculum is specifically designed for STEM-track students who place below the level of college algebra when they enter college. The authors have found that TWA helps instructors honor the mathematical knowledge and ideas that students bring into the classroom. The curriculum units give instructors the freedom to choose the topics that suit their objectives. TWA also offers a variety of approaches to help students connect with mathematics in a new way. This brief will expand on these them students that the authors observed when teaching with this curriculum. 
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  3. ( , Proceedings of the seventh annual Indiana STEM Conference. West Lafayette, IN)
    Thinking With Algebra (TWA) is a curriculum development project for college students needing introductory/intermediate algebra. Unique guiding principles of the project are a focus on algebraic structure, mixed review, equity, and a classroom approach emphasizing small-group work and whole- class discussion (Feikes et al., 2022). Results are derived from a survey given to one class of fifteen students taking an intermediate algebra summer course. The paper shares both Likert and open-ended responses. Data demonstrates that the students believed that the TWA curriculum was beneficial. 
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  4. ( , Proceedings of the eighth annual Indiana STEM Education Conference. West Lafayette, IN.)
    W. S. Walker, III (Ed.)
    Thinking With Algebra (TWA) is a curriculum development project for college students needing introductory/intermediate algebra. Unique guiding principles of the project are a focus on algebraic structure, mixed review, equity, and a classroom approach emphasizing small-group work and whole- class discussion (Feikes et al., 2022). Results are derived from a survey given to one class of fifteen students taking an intermediate algebra summer course. The paper shares both Likert and open-ended responses. Data demonstrates that the students believed that the TWA curriculum was beneficial. 
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  5. ; ; ; ; ( , Proceedings of the 46th annual meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education)
    The Thinking With Algebra (TWA) project, which consists of a developmental algebra curriculum and supporting professional development, has been integrated into diverse algebra courses to support undergraduate students’ success in college algebra (Feikes et al., 2024). This paper examines the equity-oriented instructional practices integrated into TWA to support strengthened equity outcomes among students. This project draws on sociopolitical equity scholarship (Rubel, 2017), including a framework consisting of achievement, access, identity, and power (Gutiérrez, 2012). Instructor and student data indicate positive changes in student achievement and identity outcomes. Future directions include expanding the integration of equity-oriented instructional practices and investigation of student equity outcomes. Applying an equity lens to TWA is critical given the barriers students, particularly minoritized students, face in algebra. 
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