Susan Jo Russell
Wednesday 5^th March 2007
3:30-5pm

Abstract:
In collaborative work with teachers over the past five years, we have found that students in kindergarten through fifth grade are thinking about ideas that are at the heart of algebra. In the course of working on arithmetic, students notice regularities that might, in later years, be expressed with symbols and equations. These ideas offer opportunities for rich mathematical investigation and discussion that provide access to foundational ideas about the operations. We are currently investigating how students who are struggling in mathematics and students who typically need more challenge in mathematics engage in this work. In this talk, I will give an overview of our work and engage participants in considering some classroom cases.

Biographical Sketch:
Susan Jo Russell is a senior researcher and developer at the Education Research Collaborative at TERC, where she has worked for over 20 years directing projects focused on computer education, mathematics for special needs students, professional development in mathematics, research on students’ and teachers’ understanding of mathematics, and curriculum design for elementary students. Dr. Russell’s previous work includes classroom teaching in grades K-3, site-based professional development, research in the Laboratory for Computer Science at M.I.T., and college teaching. At TERC, she co-directed the development and revision of the NSF-funded elementary curriculum, Investigations in Number, Data and Space and is an author of the professional development materials, Developing Mathematical Ideas. She was a member of the grades 3-5 writing group for the NCTM’s Principles and Standards for School Mathematics. She has authored many books and articles including a chapter in the recent NCTM publication, Teaching Mathematics through Problem Solving: Grades K-6. Her current work focuses on the foundations of algebra in the elementary grades and on understanding how practicing teachers learn about mathematics and about children's mathematical thinking. She holds a B.A. from Swarthmore College, an M.S. from Bank Street College, and an Ed.D. from Boston University.