Discussion Question 3
Marty
education policy. If you are going to respond to this post, please
take a look at the article at http://www.hoover.org/publications/ednext/3346411.html
for an overview of some bilingual education issues in California,
especially concerning changes related to Proposition 227.
Many students have limited fluency in English, while they are trying
to learn mathematics -- sometimes they are called ELD (English
Language Developing) students.
How might you change your teaching practice, in order to assist ELD
students? How might you use language carefully in the mathematics
classroom, to help ELD students, without detracting from the education
of non-ELD students -- are there any ideas to help ELD students, which
would also be beneficial for non-ELD students? How can you be sure
that these changes don't "single-out" the ELD students in an awkward
way? Do you think that it is "fair" to hold students use of English
language to a high standard in a mathematics class?
ted...@gmail.com
language dependent than many other subjects, and that this is
reflected in the linked article by the cited smaller difference in
mathematics test scores between the two teaching methodologies. This
does not however mean that we can simply ignore ELD students because
we see math as being some sort of "universal language." The sorts of
changes one might impose upon their teaching in order to better
accommodate ELD students can vary significantly depending upon the
level of math being taught. For the upper division class I am
currently a TA for, I think there are several areas I could focus more
energy in that would be beneficial to both ELD students and non-ELD
students. Firstly I should attempt to do a better job of writing on
the blackboard as much of what I say as possible. I believe that by
presenting as much material as possible in both media, verbal and
written, students who struggle with English are more likely to be able
to keep up with the material I am presenting. Secondly I should be
careful to provide clear, unambiguous definitions of any technical
terms I may use. This will help me avoid what I see as being a common
trap for mathematicians, we forget that the English we use is often
peppered with words that we ascribe a non-standard definition to, and
that this can prove troublesome to native and non-native English
speakers alike. Finally I should put more effort into speaking more
clearly, and avoiding overly complicated sentences. This is an issue
for me, I have a tendency to mutter through parts of a sentence when
I'm actively thinking about what I need to say, and also at times to
use vocabulary that is needlessly obtuse. I think that all of these
changes would be beneficial to ELD students without singling them out
in any way, while at the same time improving the learning environment
for strong, or native English speakers.
While mathematics is not completely a "universal language" there are
properties of it that transcend normal language, and lead us to think
that it is. Because of these properties at times one can follow the
thread of a mathematical argument without being able to speak or read
the language it is presented in. It is for this reason that I believe
that we can hold students to a lower standard of English usage in our
mathematics classes. There are times however when we run into language
issues, and the thread of the logical argument can become tangled in
the English around it. This is precisely the level to which we should
hold our students. What matters is not the specifics of the English
language, but instead that the arguments presented are coherent, and
are not muddled by the language surrounding them. I think it is
completely fair for us to hold students to this standard, as I believe
it is generally lower than the standards they will find in any similar
class in a different department, where their arguments do not have the
backbone of the mathematical language to support weaker English
language skills.
megan
that most can understand much of mathematics without having a huge
english vocabulary. Because of "universal symbols" such as "+", "-",
"=", etc., I agree that writing math thouroughly on the chalkboard
can help English Learners get a better grasp on the topic at hand,
especially in lower level math. Also writing in a structured way helps
everyone, native or not, comprehend the material more clearly. I
think that it is important not to lower the level of vocabulary too
much in order for English Learners to better understand, because I
think that those who are native English speakers tend to feel that
they are being belittled by such actions. As a different approach, I
would try to explain in a couple of different ways in hopes that a
change in the vocabulary will help the english learners take out the
key points. Also speaking clearly and at a reasonable pace is
important. If a teacher has explained a topic in more than one or two
ways and a student is still struggling, I think it is important to
address that student after class so as not to hinder the pace of the
class. I do feel that most of the teaching techniques that I believe
would help the English Learners would also benefit the majority of the
class.
I did want to say a few things about the proposition itself though. I
think it is an unreasonable request to have all public schools teach
to all English Learners in their own language. If a school has an
overwhealming amount of students from a certain ethnicity, it means
that the city also has a large population of that ethnicity, and as a
result it is much easier to find bilingual teachers for those
students. However what about when there are only a few with an
uncommon native language for the surrounding area. It seems to me as
though they would just have to go through full immersion, and our
school system wouldn't be able to accomadate them. This seems unfair
for those who are in this situation, especially if they are seeing
other non-native students getting a specialized education. When I was
teaching in the public school system as a substitute, I often worked
in ESL classes. These classes only consisted of Spanish or Chinese
speaking students. I know that in these schools there were others
that were English Learners that neither of these were their native
languages, and due to this fact they were expected to learn at the
same rate as their English speacking classmates, or they would be held
back, or put in special education classes. It seems to me that if I
was in this situation, that unless I was able to keep up I would be
totally discouraged.