3-8 teachers improve their ability to do just that in the busy classroom setting. The focus of ATMP is to promote thinking, dialogue, growth and initiatives among teachers on the topic of developing algebraic thinking in students. This approach allows teachers to try new approaches in the classroom and then refine them through discussion with peers in the learning community. Students compare two mobile phone plans and use words, tables, and graphs to choose the most appropriate plan for a middle school student. Lessons model how teachers can use written solutions and both classroom and individual discussions to probe student thinking about generalizations, patterns, rules, and functional relationships.
Print materials provide additional support materials.
ATMP lesson guides and notebooks provide participants NCTM journal articles related to the importance of exploring patterns in development of algebraic thinking and the importance of teachers providing rich problem-solving contexts on a continuous basis. Also, if at least ten people enroll for course credit, two or three undergraduate or graduate credits may be offered during the school year through a Wisconsin university or college.