Letter to colleague, math teacher

You are a Middle school teacher. One of the teachers in your school, Ms. Politis, is a well-liked, veteran teacher who uses only symbolic algebraic manipulations when discussing Algebra with her students. Ms. Politis says that she tries to make math easy for her students and seeing multiple representations confuses students. She gives students lots of time in class to practice symbolic algebraic manipulations. When you observe her classroom, her students seem to know how to do common algebraic operations, but they often make strange mistakes. You are also skeptical that students understand and retain what they are learning in Ms. Politis’ class. Having done some research into multiple representations, you and your partner decided to write Ms. Politis a letter arguing why she should introduce them in class.
Assignment:
Write a well-reasoned and organized letter to your colleague arguing why she should use multiple representations when teaching algebra in class.
In your letter,
• Define symbolic algebraic manipulation.
• Define multiple representations.
• Discuss relevant aspects of the Common Core State Standards [i.e. Standards for Mathematical Practice]
• Discuss Concrete-Representational-Abstract model of instruction
• Give examples of some common algebraic errors that students make when they do not understand what they are doing in symbolic algebraic manipulation.
• Make some suggestions for what Ms. Politis should consider in reflecting on her teaching.
Read all of the provided articles.
Keep track of the articles you read and cite them at the end of your letter. Citations should be in APA which is standard in the field of Education. Citations do not count towards the 3-4 page length. For more APA guidelines, go to: http://maxguides.bridgew.edu/c.php?g=339333&;p=2283428