The Problem With Math Is English

Teaching K-12 math becomes an easier task when everyoneunderstands the language, symbolism, and representation of mathconcepts Published in partnership with SEDL, The Problem with Math IsEnglish illustrates how students often understand fundamentalmathematical concepts at a superficial level. Written to inspire?aha? moments, this book enables teachers to help students identifyand comprehend the nuances and true meaning of math concepts byexploring them through the lenses of language and symbolism,delving into such essential topics as multiplication, division,fractions, place value, proportional reasoning, graphs, slope,order of operations, and the distributive property. Offers a new way to approach teaching math content in a waythat will improve how all students, and especially English languagelearners, understand math Emphasizes major attributes of conceptual understanding inmathematics, including simple yet deep definitions of key terms,connections among key topics, and insightful interpretation This important new book fills a gap in math education byillustrating how a deeper knowledge of math concepts can bedeveloped in all students through a focus on language andsymbolism.

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.

An interactive resource designed to help schools implement effective instructional practices that create sustainable results for English language learners. These research-based materials assist educators with simultaneously developing students' mastery of mathematics and their academic language development.--from package.

Today's mathematics classrooms increasingly include students for whom English is a second language. Teaching Mathematics to English Language Learners provides readers a comprehensive understanding of both the challenges that face English language learners (ELLs) and ways in which educators might address them in the secondary mathematics classroom. Framed by a research perspective, Teaching Mathematics to English Language Learners presents practical instructional strategies for engaging learners that can be incorporated as a regular part of instruction. The authors offer context-specific strategies for everything from facilitating classroom discussions with all students, to reading and interpreting math textbooks, to tackling word problems. A fully annotated list of math web and print resources completes the volume, making this a valuable reference to help mathematics teachers meet the challenges of including all learners in effective instruction. Features and updates to this new edition include: An updated and streamlined Part 1 provides an essential overview of ELL theory in a mathematics specific context. Additional practical examples of mathematics problems and exercises make turning theory into practice easy when teaching ELLs New pedagogical elements in Part 3 include tips on harnessing new technologies, discussion questions and reflection points. New coverage of the Common Core State Standards, as well as updates to the web and print resources in Part 4.

Do word problems and math vocabulary confuse students in your mathematics classes? Do simple keywords like "value" and "portion" seem to mislead them? Many words that students already know can have a different meaning in mathematics. To grasp that difference, students need to connect English literacy skills to math. Successful students speak, read, write, and listen to each other so they can understand, retain, and apply mathematics concepts. This book explains how to use 10 classroom-ready literacy strategies in concert with your mathematics instruction. You’ll learn how to develop students who are able to explain to themselves - and communicate to others - what problems mean and how to attack them. Embedding these strategies in your instruction will help your students gain the literacy skills required to achieve the eight Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. You’ll discover the best answer to their question, "When am I ever going to use this?" The 10 Strategies: 1. Teaching mathematical words explicitly 2. Teaching academic words implicitly 3. Reinforcing reading comprehension skills that apply to mathematics 4. Teaching mathematics with metaphor and gesture 5. Unlocking the meaning of word problems 6. Teaching note-taking skills for mathematics 7. Using language-based formative assessment in mathematics 8. Connecting memorization to meaning in mathematics 9. Incorporating writing-to-learn activities in mathematics 10. Preparing students for algebraic thinking

An interactive resource designed to help schools implement effective instructional practices that create sustainable results for English language learners. These research-based materials assist educators with simultaneously developing students' mastery of mathematics and their academic language development.--from package.

Making Math Accessible for English Language Learners provides practical classroom tips and suggestions to strengthen the quality of classroom instruction for teachers of mathematics. The tips and suggestions are based on research in practices and strategies that address the affective, linguistic, and cognitive needs of English language learners. Although this resource centers on teaching English language learners, many of the tips and suggestions benefit all students. Making Math Accessible for English Language Learners follows five case studies of composite student profiles throughout the book with opportunities for reflection to increase personal awareness of both the teacher’s role and students’ needs in the mathematics classroom, tasks to provide interaction with the content of the book, and hot tips for ideas applicable to real-world classroom situations.