Teaching Algebra Chapter 6-Functions

Research around the teaching and learning of function has shown that students have difficulty defining and identifying functions. Students (and teachers) tend to focus on function as either just formulas or “graphs” that “pass the vertical line test,” rather than the relationships represented. In this chapter, teachers examine definitions of function as well as representations of function using both dynamic algebra and dynamic geometry environments.

This chapter could be used alongside a Module within the Examining Students’ Practices (ESP) in Algebra and Function:

Module 5: The Function Concept- Functions and Non-Functions