This set of materials consists of a series of four guides or modules and an accompanying 30-minute videotape. These materials are designed for the professional development of mathematics teachers in grades 6 to 10 who want to improve their teaching of algebraic thinking.

The purpose of this set of materials is "to help mathematics teachers in grades 6-10 learn to identify, describe, and foster algebraic thinking in their students...These materials focus on how students think about mathematics and on helping [teachers] and [their] colleagues understand students’ thinking through the analysis of different kinds of data, such as student work and classroom observation" (p. xi). The author intends these materials to be used "by a small group of teachers who meet regularly over the course of a semester, a school year, or a longer period of time" (p. iii).

The Fostering Algebraic Thinking Toolkit provides useful ideas for helping teachers improve their teaching of algebraic concepts. These materials consist of four detailed professional development guides and a supporting videotape. The professional development guides are in notebook format and correspond to four content modules. These guides provide a wealth of information for facilitators as well as resources for participants. The accompanying videotape consists of classroom segments of students engaged in problem solving and reflective sessions with classroom teachers; it is used in two of the four modules described in the toolkit.

In addition to introductory and closing sessions, the four primary modules each address a different topic related to effective instructional practices. The "Analyzing Written Student Work" module focuses on the process of analyzing and discussing students’ algebraic thinking as evidenced in their written work. The "Listening to Students" module uses videotaped classroom segments to help participants practice listening to students as they solve problems and analyze their thinking. The "Documenting Patterns of Student Thinking" module helps participants develop goals for students based on their algebraic thinking and adapt assessment to better reflect those goals. The "Asking Questions of Students" module includes videotaped segments that help participants reflect on the types of questions they can ask to help foster algebraic thinking. Materials are provided for each session that include an agenda, a list of goals, session instructions, discussion sheets, mathematics activity sheets, a homework sheet, and a mathematical thinking record.

The toolkit materials are well written and organized. The videotape is of good visual and audio quality, with segments demonstrating the principles outlined in the materials. The blackline masters are of high quality for ease of duplication, and copies of student work are legible and clear. The mathematics problems are challenging but appropriate for teachers interested in studying algebraic content and pedagogy. The facilitator’s notes are concise yet informative, providing structured questions and comments to guide the facilitator in implementing the program outline.

These materials provide specific instructions for implementing four three-hour professional development sessions for each of the four modules, in addition to a three-hour introductory session and a three-hour closing session. The guide recommends that these sessions occur regularly over the course of a school year with two to five weeks between sessions.

One reviewer noted that the page numbering and organization of the guides can be somewhat confusing, so facilitators could use colored tabs or another organizational system to arrange the pages for easy access.