The Extraordinary Educators Podcast

Empowering Middle School Minds for Algebra with Rebecca Brenneman

• Danielle Sullivan & Sari Laberis • Season 5 • Episode 39

Share episode

Ever wondered how to unlock the algebraic potential in young minds? Look no further, as we've tapped into the expertise of Rebecca Brenneman, a seasoned 7th-grade math teacher from Maryland, who's got the playbook for priming middle schoolers for the world of algebra. Rebecca's approach emphasizes a rock-solid number sense and the art of breaking down complex problems into bite-sized, manageable chunks—skills that are essential for setting the stage for variables and abstract algebraic concepts. Her discussion on the power of pattern recognition, rational number operations, and viewing equations as balances offers a fresh perspective on equation solving that both novices and veteran educators can appreciate.

Read Rebecca's Blog: CurriculumAssociates.com/blog/ready-for-algebra
Follow us on Twitter: @CurriculumAssoc
Follow us on Instagram: @MyiReady
Have feedback, questions, or want to be a guest? Email ExtraordinaryEducators@cainc.com to connect with us!

Sari Laberis:

Curriculum Associates presents the Extraordinary Educators podcast with hosts Danielle Sullivan and Sari Laberis. Hear tips, best practices and successes to improve your teaching and leadership and drive student growth and learning. We're here for you.

Danielle Sullivan:

Hi everyone, welcome to the Extraordinary Educator podcast. I'm Danielle and I'm Sari.

Sari Laberis:

This week we are joined by Extraordinary Educator Rebecca, who is a grade 7 math teacher in Maryland, and it's so wonderful y'all.

Danielle Sullivan:

This episode is like a master class in algebra readiness and what to do with middle school students and how to really break down the concepts in an easy to understand way for middle school kids. I just I really enjoyed listening to Rebecca, and both Sarah and I agree we wish, we both wish she was our 7th grade math teacher.

Sari Laberis:

Yes, so, without further ado, here is our conversation with Rebecca. Welcome, rebecca, it's so great to see you. Thanks so much for being here with us today.

Rebecca Brenneman:

Thank you for having me.

Danielle Sullivan:

Rebecca, we'd love to talk to you about algebra readiness. Like I know, you teach 7th grade math, so what's all the buzz with getting students prepared to take algebra? Tell us what it is, why it's important, all the things.

Rebecca Brenneman:

Okay, well, first of all, some of our 8th graders take algebra, and I'm sure that's the same in lots of school districts. Some of them don't take algebra till they get to high school, but we try to get one cohort of students a little bit ahead of the game so that they can have a few more semesters to take other higher level math classes at the high school. So in my experience, the most important readiness factor for algebra is simply a strong number sense, a strong ability to look at a problem and determine what it is that the question is asking. Before you can move into algebra, where letters replace numbers, you're gonna have to know what, how the numbers. So things like rational number operations.

Rebecca Brenneman:

You have to be proficient fractions, decimals, powers, square roots, cube roots, those kinds of things. You have to understand how they work, expressions and equations. You have to be able to go from a numeric expression to an algebraic expression and to understand what the purpose of those variables are. I like to teach kids that math is about patterns and equations are solved systematically and if you look for patterns you can go quickly from a numeric equation to an algebraic equation. If you use inverse operations, you can see how you can undo multiplication with division and vice versa, and so kids who have that down pat seem to transition into algebra quite easily.

Danielle Sullivan:

I mean, yeah, that's a lot. You laid a lot of mathematical terms down for us, so, in thinking of other middle school educators that are listening to prepare their students to get ready to take algebra, what are some of your favorite strategies? Besides, you share a lot of the content, like the mathematical concept, but how do we get students to recognize patterns? How do you get students motivated and excited to lay some of those foundations?

Rebecca Brenneman:

Well, I try to teach students that hard problems can be solved by easy problems. So when you come up with a problem that's got some variables in it or it looks kind of scary because it's got, maybe, an expression within a division problem, et cetera, if you just take a real simple problem like 6 over 2 equals 3, you can use that simple, simple problem to find the pattern, to find how it works. If I cover up 6, how am I going to find that? Using the other two numbers? If I cover up 3, how am I going to find that using the other two numbers? And if you can apply that system or that pattern to the more difficult problem, then you can certainly solve it. When you're doing things like proportional relationships, that's just one after another, they work the exact same way. So you can look at using cross products to solve a proportion. It works for every proportion easy ones, hard ones, decimal ones, fraction ones just apply the pattern or use the system.

Rebecca Brenneman:

Any kind of formula is a pattern. It's okay. What do I do here? Well, I look at it, I substitute values for my variables, I put in what I know and I solve for what I don't, and those things are just repetitive and no matter how big the formula is or how scary the length of the problem is or whatever, it's all solved by the same exact process and students can do it if they just understand the basics. If you think of an equation like a balance and the equal sign is the fulcrum in the balance, you can add to or take away and keep that balance, whether it's in a simple form or whether it's in a really complex form, which helps with algebra, because you are solving for different variables. You're changing the equation around to make it solve for a different variable. As long as you understand how that equation works, you just repeat the pattern.

Sari Laberis:

Absolutely. Thank you so much for breaking it down for us. I wish I had had you as a teacher when I was in middle school, because I think just the calm mindset you have and the way that you've, even the analogy of the way - if someone had told me that when I was learning this stuff, I would have done a lot better. I'm sure our listeners appreciate that too. We do have a lot of elementary teachers that listen to the podcast. I'm curious in your perfect world, is there anything that teachers who teach younger students math that they could be doing to better help prepare these same students for when they get to middle school and high school?

Rebecca Brenneman:

Well, one really important thing is to teach them about the properties of operations, Teach them about commutative property, teach them about associative property. Teach them the identity property and the properties of equality in the very basic, basic, basic form. If students can learn that as elementary students, they can come then to middle school. And if a variable pops up somewhere, x plus two equals two plus x. They know how that works. They know that's the commutative property. Another thing I like to do with my students is try to give them ways to remember the properties. Like we talk about the commutative property. What's it mean to commute? It means to move, to go from one place to another. In the commutative property the numbers are moving and changing places and still getting the same sum or the same product. When you get into negative numbers as an older student, you can apply all those simple elementary mathematical properties to the more difficult problems when you get to middle school.

Danielle Sullivan:

I concur with Sari that I wish you were my math teacher, because you are just explaining things in ways that are just even an equation. You got to balance it. That thing really just resonated with me too. What advice do you have to other middle school educators that are struggling right now? Because I'm sure when you tell your friends that you are a middle school math educator, what do your friends tell you?

Rebecca Brenneman:

or anybody. Actually they groan. I can't even believe that I could never do it.

Danielle Sullivan:

For some reason, that's the known response. It's amazing, I'm a big fan of middle school math educators. I myself was a middle school math educator. What advice now, as you're thinking about algebra readiness, can you leave our listeners with in thinking about just supporting other educators?

Rebecca Brenneman:

Well, I think the secret to success, so to speak, is to get buy-in, to make kids understand that we don't have math people and non-math people. We don't have I can do it and I can't do it. We have only people who are willing to apply themselves or not. And I try to encourage my students. We don't say can't in my classroom. We say you know, we haven't done it yet, we're going to try it again. Let's look at this. We go to the math practices and we say we're going to persevere. We're going to persevere. It's not easy. Coming in my classroom, I have a sign that says caution. There's productive struggle in progress. And the kids will say I'll say what are we doing today? What's going on with this? When it's hard, they'll say this is productive struggle. Yes, it is productive struggle and it's not meant to frustrate or cause tears. It's just meant to get the very, very most that you can out of your students.

Sari Laberis:

Well, thank you so much, Rebecca, for all of that, for your insights, for your tips and just your mindset. You have this very calming presence and I'm sure that your colleagues and students really appreciate that as well, so it was great chatting with you today. We really appreciate your time, thank you. Get inspired by following us on social media and please tag us in your posts on Twitter, @curriculumassoc, and on Instagram, @MyiReady. If you have feedback about the podcast, a topic of interest or want to be a guest, email ExtraordinaryEducators@cainc. com. Subscribe where you listen to podcasts and if you'd like to help more educators like you join the conversation, please leave a review.

Danielle Sullivan:

And remember, be you be true, be extraordinary. The Extraordinary Educators Podcast is produced by Curriculum Associates Media by Atziri Hannon, guest booking by Sari Laberis, production by Hayley Browning. This podcast is copyright, material and intellectual property of Curriculum Associates.