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Teaching Math to Multilingual Students, Grades K-8
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Teaching Math to Multilingual Students, Grades K-8
Positioning English Learners for Success



January 2021 | 248 pages | Corwin
Using strengths-based approaches to support development in mathematics 

It’s time to re-imagine what’s possible and celebrate the brilliance multilingual learners bring to today’s classrooms. Innovative teaching strategies can position these learners as leaders in mathematics. Yet, as the number of multilingual learners in North American schools grows, many teachers have not had opportunities to gain the competencies required to teach these learners effectively, especially in disciplines such as mathematics. Multilingual learners—historically called English Language Learners—are expected to interpret the meaning of problems, analyze, make conjectures, evaluate their progress, and discuss and understand their own approaches and the approaches of their peers in mathematics classrooms. Thus, language plays a vital role in mathematics learning, and demonstrating these competencies in a second (or third) language is a challenging endeavor.

Based on best practices and the authors’ years of research, this guide offers practical approaches that equip grades K-8 teachers to draw on the strengths of multilingual learners, partner with their families, and position these learners for success. Readers will find: 

A focus on multilingual students as leaders
A strength-based approach that draws on students’ life experiences and cultural backgrounds
An emphasis on maintaining high expectations for learners’ capacity for mastering rigorous content
Strategies for representing concepts in different formats 
Stop and Think questions throughout and reflection questions at the end of each chapter
Try It! Implementation activities, student work examples, and classroom transcripts

With case studies and activities that provide a solid foundation for teachers’ growth and exploration, this groundbreaking book will help teachers and teacher educators engage in meaningful, humanized mathematics instruction.  
 

 
Preface
 
Acknowledgements
 
Our Hope for Multilingual Learners
 
Teachers Who Inspire
 
Studying Teacher Practice
 
Interacting With Multilingual Learners and Their Families
 
Position Multilingual Learners as Classroom Leaders
 
What Research says About Positioning
 
Reflecting of Xiao Li's Experience
 
Reflecting on Nabil Abadi's Experience
 
Reflecting on José López’s Experience
 
Positioning Students as Experts
One Year Later

 
Reflecting on Why Positioning Matters

 
 
Recognize How Teachers Position Students
 
Positioning Multilingual Learners as Leaders
Explicitly Positioning Multilingual Learners as Leaders

 
Implicitly Positioning Multilingual Learners as Leaders

 
 
Strategies for Positioning Multilingual learners as Leaders
 
Thinking About Positioning in Your Practice
 
Facilitate Multilingual Learners' Participation in Mathematics Classroom
 
Reflecting on Your Experience with Participating
 
What Research Says About Student Participation
 
Factors That Influence the Participation of Multilingual Learners
Reflecting on Your Experiences with Fear

 
Overcoming Fear

 
Encountering Unknown Contexts

 
 
Examining Teaching Strategies That Influence Participation
 
Strategies for Facilitating Multilingual Learners’ Participation in Mathematics
 
Thinking About Participation in Your Practice
 
Facilitate Partnerships Between Multilingual Learners and Their Peers
 
Solving a Mathematics Problem with A Partner
 
Solving a Mathematics Problem with A Partner
 
Qualities of Partnerships
 
Strategies for Facilitating Partnerships
 
Establish Participation Norms With Students
 
Practice Compliments
 
Provide Concrete Resources
 
Pay Attention To Pairing
 
Monitor How Partners Work
 
Revisit Partnership Norms With Student
 
Thinking About Partnerships in Your Practice
 
Engage Multilingual Learners Through Culturally-Relevant Contexts
 
Reflecting on the Challenge of Contexts and Culture
 
What the Research Says About Contexts in Mathematics
 
Strategies for Engaging Multilingual Learners Through Culturally-Meaningful Contexts
 
Thinking about Contexts in your Practice
 
Reach Multilingual Learners with Visuals, Illustrations, and Gestures
 
What Research Says About Visuals and Gestures
 
Using Visuals Strategically
Examining Ms. Bristow’s Use of Visuals: Dividing Cookies

 
Examining Ms. Bristow’s Use of Visuals: Emphasizing the Meaning of ‘Loose’

 
Emphasizing Mathematical Connections

 
 
Reflecting on Your Use of Gestures
 
Using Gestures Strategically
 
Examining Ms. Bristow’s Use of Gestures: Obstacle Course
 
Examining Ms. Bristow’s Strategic Use of Visuals and Gestures: Columns and Rows
 
Thinking About Visuals and Gestures in Your Practice
 
Strategies for Using Visuals and Gestures
 
Analyze Mathematical Work of Multilingual Learners
 
Reflecting on Your Experiences
 
What Research Says About Analyzing Multilingual Learners’ Mathematical Work
What Research Says About Analyzing Multilingual Learners’ Mathematical Work

 
 
Analyzing Additional Student Work
 
Strategies for Discerning Between Mathematical and Language Issues
Examining Abigail’s Work

 
Examining Janessa’s Work

 
 
The Importance of Interviewing Multilingual Learners
 
Thinking About Analyzing Multilingual Learner’s Mathematical Work in Your Practice
 
Investigate Meanings to Enhance Multilingual Learners’ Language Development
 
The Importance of Academic Language for Multilingual Learners
 
What the Research Says About Academic Language
 
Distinguishing Between Multiple Meanings of Language
 
Introducing Specialized Mathematics Language
 
Amplified Use of Academic Language
 
Strategies for Enhance Multilingual Learners’ Language Development
 
Thinking About Academic Language in Your Practice
 
Use Your Discourse Strategically to Enhance Multilingual Learners’ Opportunity to Learn
 
Reflecting on Varieties of English that Influence Discourse
 
What Research Says About Discourse
 
Teacher Discourse
Connecting Academic Language to Mathematical Representations

 
Posing Questions to Engage Multilingual Learners

 
Posing Questions to Engage Multilingual Learners

 
 
Strategies for Promoting Classroom Discourse
 
Thinking About Your Discourse in Your Practice
 
Foster a Culture of Writing in the Mathematics Classroom
 
Reflecting on Your Experiences
 
What Research Says About Writing in Mathematics
 
Establishing a Need to Write in Mathematics
 
Establishing a Culture of Writing
 
Providing Feedback on Students’ Writing
 
Analyzing Students’ Writing
 
Strategies for Fostering a Culture of Writing in Your Mathematics Classroom
 
Reflecting on Mathematical Writing in Your Practice
 
Develop Writing in Mathematics for Multilingual Learners
 
Reflecting on Your Practice
 
Mathematical Genres of Writing
 
What the Research Says about Mathematical Genres
 
Identifying Mathematical Writing Genres
 
Strategies for Developing Writing in Mathematics for Multilingual Learners
Teaching Practices

 
Activities

 
 
Reflecting on Your Use of Mathematical Genres in Your Practice
 
Enhance Curriculum Materials for Multilingual Learners
 
Reflecting on Mathematics Curriculum
 
What Research Says About Curriculum Enhancement for Multilingual Learners
 
Strategies for Crafting Language to Better Support Multilingual Learners
 
Analyzing Curriculum Materials for Multilingual Learners
 
Research Recommendations for Enacting Mathematics Curriculum
 
Recognizing Different Mathematical Conventions and Representations
 
Thinking about Mathematical Conventions and Representations in your Practice
 
Thinking about Curriculum Enhancement in your Practice
 
Engage with Parents and Families of Multilingual Learners
 
Reflecting on Your Experiences
 
What the Research Says about Multilingual Parent and Family Engagement
 
Multicultural Parenting Styles
Cultural Values

 
Emphasizing the Value of Family in Your Classroom

 
Examining Teachers’ and Multilingual Parents’ Expectations

 
 
Reframing Multilingual Parental Engagement
 
Strategies for Facilitating Multilingual Family and Parent Engagement in Your Classroom
 
Reflecting on Family Engagement in Your Practice
 
Appendix A. Additional Resources
 
Appendix B. Selected Solutions
 
References

Supplements

This groundbreaking book offers practical, research-informed strategies and activities that support all learners. Chval and her colleagues’ innovative approach positions multilingual learners as potential classroom leaders in challenging mathematics learning. Even newcomers to English are invited to draw on all their meaning-making resources to participate in the mathematics classroom.

Mary J. Schleppegrell
Professor of Education
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

This book provides a powerful tool for teachers as they engage multilanguage learners in language and mathematics. Each chapter is a wonderful compilation of research and practice that unpacks the strategies that will empower teachers to build upon the unique strengths and knowledge that multilingual students bring to the classroom.

Amy Stephens
Senior Program Officer, Board on Science Education, The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
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