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

by Kathryn Chval, Erin Marie Smith, Lina Trigos-Carrillo

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

- 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.

Genres: Education, Mathematics, Teaching, Nonfiction

248 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 7, 2021

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as part of a professional development course. It was easy to read and had a lot of practical, easily applicable, advice. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it to professionals looking for ways to improve math practices for ML students.

One thing I appreciated were the many examples of master teachers using the strategies. The book included a number of transcripts taken directly from classrooms. I hate watching videos of teachers teaching, it's so boring to me and I can't focus on them, but I loved reading the transcripts. It was quick and I could reread parts that I found useful. I know some people learn better with videos, but I definitely do better when I can read something.

Here are a couple of takeaways I got from the book that I would like to incorporate into my own classroom:

*Let students share their strategies and name those strategies after the students. Prep ML students to share so they feel comfortable and confident.

*Include daily writing into math. Make it intentional and purposeful. Use the same prompt for several days and let them revise and improve.

*Use local stores and places to develop math problems and units. This integrates local knowledge and builds background knowledge. ML students feel more comfortable with places they are familiar with.

*Watch for math problems that create barriers because of context. Build context before attempting the math.

[Neleigh J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for anyone struggling to teach multilingual learners. Chval guides her readers both to a more compassionate attitude toward MLLs and gives practical ideas that can be implemented in a classroom tomorrow.

[Marilu Deal · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most practical books in Math Education that I have read. The examples and scenarios shared capture the realities of multilingual learners and provide actionable practices for teachers.

[Halley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of implementable tips. Easy to skim.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good practical advice on how to help ML students. Some things were obvious, but others I had never thought of before. This book was nicely organized so my PLC could discuss a chapter or two a month.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource! It is also easy to read and has lots of real life examples.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as part of a program to get my ELL endorsement. I found this book easy to read and full of practical tools as well as the theory behind the tools. Highly recommend.

[Felicia Finley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book should not be marked as a K-8 resource. It primarily focused on content from third and fifth grade classes and only gave elementary examples.

[Michelle Love-Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book to read with my department, gifted, and the math department. The strategies, examples, and reflection allowed us to see how we would use this as we coach teachers with our ML students. I loved the videos added (with QR codes) for additional learning and sharing. My favorite chapters about writing were at the end. I recommend this to every coach, teacher, and math teacher. We really need to see and evaluate how we instruct our MLs.