Sometimes, there is a misconception about the linguistic demands in math class, and so support for English language learners (ELLs) in math can get overlooked. With 30 years of math teaching experience between us, we've been honored to coach other educators on best practices. In the following coaching scenario, we describe how a teacher can shift practices to ensure ELLs are supported in math.
Pre-Coaching Scenario
Mr. Smith's 4th grade students sat ready, personal whiteboards and markers in hand, waiting for their teacher to begin a math lesson. The class had been working on multi-digit subtraction using the standard algorithm in a vertical written method, including problems involving multiple regroupings. Mr. Smith (we are using a pseudonym to protect the teacher's privacy) walks over to the classroom whiteboard and writes 253,421-75,832 vertically and asks his students to do the same.
Mr. Smith: Look across the top number to see if we have enough units in each column to subtract 75,832. Are we ready to subtract?Student: No.Mr. Smith: What should we do first?Student: Change 1 ten for 10 ones. That means you have 1 ten and 11 ones.Mr. Smith: What else can we regroup?
A response pattern like this, where the teacher poses a question with a specific response in mind, is common in math classrooms. That teacher then calls on students one at a time to respond and evaluates each response. This pattern provides limited opportunities for students who are in varying stages of learning English to make sense of mathematics, develop positive relationships with their peers, or be contributing members of the classroom community.
Another problem is that too often, struggles with language are misinterpreted as gaps in math learning. This misinterpretation can lead teachers to use simple, calculation-based tasks in the classroom when teaching ELLs because those tasks lack dependency on language. The resulting instruction tends to focus more on rote skills and procedures, with little attention to understanding or application. And, because little is expected of them, students exert little effort, which results in low achievement and reinforced low expectations. It doesn't have to be this way.
Shifting to Strategies That Support ELLs
The strategies that support ELLs in math also reinforce the learning of all students. Let's look at Mr. Smith's instruction as he incorporates strategies, like visual models, to effectively support English language learners.
Post-Coaching Scenario
Back in Mr. Smith's 4th grade classroom, after he received instructional coaching around best practices to support ELLs, he began the lesson by displaying an application problem on the board. For that day's problem, he had his students work with a partner, sharing ideas with each other before sharing out to the class. Prior to the lesson, Mr. Smith revised the problem to a situation familiar to his ELLs: attending the local amusement park. Mr. Smith also decided to have actual tickets on hand for students to see how the ticket numbers change.
Figure 1. Application Problem
Mr. Smith: Class, let's read the problem together. (Students read aloud.)Mr. Smith: Talk with your partner. Do we know the whole (the teacher holds arms out wide) or the parts (the teacher gestures to two smaller spaces in front of him with hands)? Remember our work with tape diagrams (points to anchor chart, Figure 2).
Figure 2. Tape Diagram Anchor Chart
(Students discuss with partners before responding.)Student: We know the whole and one part.Mr. Smith: Correct! Read the first sentence out loud with your partner and draw your tape diagram.(The students read and draw a rectangle and label one part 928,614.)Mr. Smith: Read the next sentence out loud with your partner and change your drawing.(The students read and label the whole at the top of their tape diagram.) Mr. Smith: Check your drawing. Why does it make sense that the first part of your tape diagram is larger than the second part? Talk to your partner. Use the sentence starter, "The first part is larger because … " (The teacher displays the sentence stem on the board, to give students support with part-whole language.)Mr. Smith: Work together to decide where the unknown, or T, belongs on your drawing.Student: We know that we are solving for a missing part, so we labeled the second part in our tape diagram with a T.Mr. Smith: How might you find the value of the unknown part? Talk with your partner.Student: We could use a chip model and the vertical method to subtract to find the missing part.Mr. Smith: (Repeats for emphasis) We know we can use the chip model and our vertical recording method to solve. (The teacher gestures to the anchor chart developed in previous lessons.) Work with your partner to solve. You may use your place value disks if you need to.
Once the students solved the application problem, Mr. Smith selected three students to share and explain their solution strategies. Mr. Smith gave each student a sentence stem to help them start their explanation to the class.
Benefits for ELLs and All
This example showcases numerous effective instructional practices at work in Mr. Smith's classroom. The big takeaway is that he integrates ELL strategies that are effective with all students into his math instruction. Specifically, he uses gestures with part-whole vocabulary, anchor charts with math models, sentence stems, and partner talk to support his ELLs. The result is that all of Mr. Smith's students can actively engage in making sense of and discussing essential mathematics, while developing mathematical language. The end result? A more inclusive environment and better instruction for all.
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