Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

K-8 Pre-Service Teachers’ Algebraic Thinking: Exploring The Habit Of Mind Building Rules To Represent Functions, Marta T. Magiera, John C. Moyer, Leigh A. Van Den Kieboom

Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Faculty Research and Publications

In this study, through the lens of the algebraic habit of mind Building Rules to Represent Functions, we examined 18 pre-service middle school teachers' ability to use algebraic thinking to solve problems. The data revealed that pre-service teachers' ability to use different features of the habit of mind Building Rules to Represent Functions varied across the features. Significant correlations existed between 8 pairs of the features. The ability to justify a rule was the weakest of the seven features and it was correlated with the ability to chunk information. Implications for mathematics teacher education are discussed.