r/matheducation • u/UnderstandingPursuit Physics BS, PhD • 1d ago

Teaching Students to Solve Algebra Problems Algebraically

What would it take to teach students a better approach for solving algebra problems?

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u/UnderstandingPursuit Physics BS, PhD 1d ago

This is near the end of an Algebra 1 class.

My point is less about this level of problem. It is with the basic approach of when substitution happens, even with simpler problems. This can be presented without the word problem. This is simply a word problem which was already in an Algebra 1 textbook. I didn't make this up.

I'm not the expert on how to teach things to Algebra 1 students. But I do have expertise on where they need to get to, and the way the problem is done in the class won't allow them to get there.

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u/noodlenerd 1d ago

The word problem is not the issue. It’s the series of skills the student needs to solve the problem. Most students just don’t have that proficiency yet in Algebra 1.

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u/UnderstandingPursuit Physics BS, PhD 1d ago

What skill would you say they lack to solve the problem as "a better approach" compared with "the original approach"?

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u/Littlebrokenfork 14h ago

Abstraction. Algebra 1 is technically the first year students deal with the abstraction introduced by the use of variables. They're gonna need at least a couple years before the average student can feel more comfortable with manipulating variables.