JAGUAR Project Overview

The JAGUAR project is investigating how exemplary teachers develop specific disciplinary mathematical knowledge (algebraic justification and argumentation), transform this knowledge to classroom learning practices and advance in their pedagogy to promote students’ capacity for algebraic justification and argumentation.

The JAGUAR project team is working with 12 outstanding teachers to continue their advancement of practice by (1) enhancing their mathematical content knowledge for teaching with a focus on algebraic justification and argumentation, and (2) developing sophistication in their teaching with an emphasis on fostering students’ algebraic justification.
The JAGUAR project has three overarching goals:
(1) to examine the development of JAGUAR Teachers’ understanding of algebraic argumentation and justification,
(2) to investigate the transformation of JAGUAR Teachers’ algebraic understanding to their classroom practices, and
(3) to examine the effect of advancement in practice on their students’ algebraic argumentation and justification.

The primary components of the project are aimed at reaching these goals:

• First, the teachers participate in a 2-week summer courseon algebraic justification each of the first two years of the project. In this context, we investigate the teachers’ developing understanding of justification (both their ability to construct valid justifications and their understanding of the nature of justification).

• Second, we investigate the teachers’ transformation of this knowledge to their practice during the academic year, through classroom lesson cycles, teacher working sessions, and stimulated recall interviews.

• Third, we use a variety of strategies (assessment instruments, work samples, analysis of classroom participation) to investigate the effect of the teachers’ development on their students’ ability to construct justifications and understanding of the nature of justification.