Developing Meaning for Mathematical Expressions

In this article, the authors describe the two interpretations of mathematical expressions, as a process and as a product. They begin with an initial discussion of Tall's (2013) interpretations of expressions and connect this to state standards. Next, they describe the different interpretations of algebraic expressions based on their work with middle and high school students. They conclude with an example of how they provided instruction that promotes a deep understanding of the interpretations of expressions.