Reasoning Language for Teaching Secondary Algebra

We investigate teacher beliefs about discourses employed with equation solving and the challenges these beliefs might pose for the implementation of instructional practices that promote deductive reasoning in algebra. To reveal these beliefs, we recorded three explanations of solving a linear equation that each had distinct discursive characteristics, and then analyzed teachers’ small-group critical discussions of these explanations. The goal of our poster will be to present the themes that surfaced and outline some implications of these beliefs for opportunities to engage all learners in conceptual thinking about equations.