To be honest, in my research, I haven't found one particular person who is well known for their research in EL's and learning math. I haven't seen a name repeated or see many articles from one individual. I could argue, that Hattie is someone who's research will support EL students in math, but his research was not specifically focused on supporting just one group of students, it was more on how we can support all students. The one consistent theme that I have found in my research, is that interaction and direct teaching of the academic vocabulary is the KEY! Now the question is, how do we teach the vocabulary in an interactive, interesting, and innovative way so that students remember those big and confusing sounding math words? There are so many strategies with teaching vocabulary, that teachers need to play around with different ideas and strategies so that they can see what works best for them in their classroom, in their school, and for their students. I work at two very different school sites, and what will work for one school site, isn't necessarily what will work for another. Also, teachers need to be willing to try different strategies to find the one that works best for them. That means they need to be willing to be vulnerable to try new and different strategies. Also, schools can look at where vocabulary is revisited. Why does it only have to be in the math class? Why can't a teachers in an ELD class spend time focusing on, reviewing, and providing experiences with the vocabulary from a core class? Why can't we extend our language learning from our core classes into our ELD classes?
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Darling-Hammond shares keys ideas on how we can shift and adjust our current education system to create more equity for all students. Her key focuses are:
Throughout the country there are students who do not speak English as their first language. When they enter school they are already at a disadvantage because they are having the learn a second language, and learn the academic content in the second language as well. This makes it difficult for the students to perform proficiently in math throughout their school career. Each year, as their English language grows, their English only classmates are accessing much more of the math curriculum. As a result, the English Learners fall behind and struggle to catch up. This problem occurs at a national level in many states. There are some states, such as California, where there is a larger percentage of students who are English Language Learners. The performance gap is evident in California. Here in Napa, there is a significant percentage of students who are English Language Learners. Teachers are constantly looking for ways to support the English Language Learners to help them achieve at grade level throughout their academic career. In the research articles I am seeing a common theme of emphasis on language in Mathematics and really being intentional with how language is introduced, reviewed, and used in a math classroom.
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AuthorKathy Martin is an educator in Napa, Ca. She has taught all ages, K-8, in her past 14 years of teaching. She looks forward to exploring more about the world of education. Archives
October 2019
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