SUPPORTING MULTILINGUAL STUDENTS TO INCREASE PARTICIPATION

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In moving to a new city and new school, I, Michelle Lo, found myself teaching a different population of students than I had in my previous years of teaching. Where I am located in Los Angeles, my school has a higher-than-average percentage of students who are new to the country.

I am a member of CPM’s Teacher Research Corps, a group of teachers who conduct action research in their classes. I did research with TRC 8.0 with Cathy Sinnen (2021) that I wanted to build on in my new research project, but I wanted to focus on multilingual students. The goals and objectives for this project include:

  • building scaffolding strategies and routines for mathematics and language learning;
  • increasing verbal participation in whole-class or small-group discussions;
  • learning what mathematical contexts are culturally relevant to students who are from Central and South America; and
  • utilizing students’ language and background knowledge as assets in the classroom.

The intention for teaching language in a mathematics classroom is not for the purpose of assimilation. I believe that students who learn mathematics while speaking more than one language can improve their understanding of mathematics in dimensions monolinguals do not experience.

Also, although mathematics is often perceived as a “requirement” for college and career, I do not intend to sell my mathematics class as a hoop to jump through for the sake of college and career. In using CPM as a curriculum, I see how the additional support newcomer students need to engage with the materials and concepts goes beyond the beautifully translated Spanish version of the texts. This project was intended to change conversations about CPM’s curriculum and how it might further support newcomer students through additional narratives for chapters, routines teachers can use, and other considerations teachers might think about in their classrooms with newcomer students.

Lastly, my project is grounded in an asset-based framing towards my students and their ability to think for themselves. Instead of depending on the teacher to facilitate and validate students’ ideas, I believe that students have the ability to make sense of mathematics with each other, including the variety of ways to solve a problem.

The project focuses on one particular section of Algebra 1 because of its collection of newcomer students. While there is research showing that heterogeneous classes improve learning outcomes for everyone, due to resources, it was more helpful for the newcomer students to be placed in the same class. During the fall semester, all of the newcomer students and several monolingual or fluent bilingual Spanish-speaking students were in my third-period class. However, the size of the class increased to 32 students by the end of the semester, and the counselors decided to take out all of the non-newcomer students for the spring semester. So, during the spring semester, my third-period Algebra 1 class was all newcomer students. I decided to focus this project on the whole class. Although the students in this class have varying levels of English proficiency, I still find it helpful to focus on the entire class when thinking about support in language learning.

For this project in supporting students to increase participation, I have tried several different activities and interventions in my teaching. They include:

Here is what I have learned from using these activities and interventions with multilingual learners.

I found it difficult to differentiate instruction, given the varying levels of English fluency in the classroom. But once I had a roster change, I noticed that the newcomer students were noticeably more comfortable speaking in general and speaking in English in the homogeneous classroom than in the heterogeneous classroom. I had been skeptical, given the research that shows how heterogeneous classrooms are more beneficial for learning (Lotan & Cohen, 2014). In the homogeneous class, there is a lot more translanguaging happening between students and between the students and me.I am also finding that I am better able to provide intentional and meaningful language support, such as sentence frames, and to hold discussions about the English language.

Moreover, since I am also learning Spanish alongside the newcomer students learning English, I am modeling a “learner stance” for the students and showing my translanguaging between the two languages. I find that there is more laughter when students hear me stumbling through Spanish, as my vulnerability permits students also to make mistakes when speaking English. My lens on teaching multilingual learners is shifting toward cultivating and fostering joy. These students’ identity as language learners is not their only identity. Many also carry the identity of being new to the United States, often having experienced difficult circumstances and trauma before arriving in the U.S.

In my teaching, I have been increasing wait time when asking questions and always allowing students time to write their ideas down before sharing them with the class. I will continue to increase access and opportunities for students to share their ideas about mathematics as I implement these innovations for the remainder of the school year.

References

Chval, K. B., Smith, E., Marcela, T. C. L., & Pinnow, R. J. (2021). Teaching math to multilingual students: Positioning English learners for Success: Grades K-8. Corwin, a SAGE Company.

Lotan, R. A., Cohen, E. G. (2014). Designing Groupwork: Strategies for the Heterogeneous Classroom. United Kingdom: Teachers College Press.

Mendoza, J. (2023, January). The CPM Educational Newsletter. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://indd.adobe.com/view/publication/8e596c0f-8b07-418c-a893-6055ede0a15b/gr73/publication-web-resources/pdf/CPM_NL_Jan_2023.pdf

NCSM & TODOS (2021). Positioning Multilingual Learners for Success in Mathematics. https://www.todos-math.org/assets/images/NCSM-TODOS%20Multilingual%20Learners%20Position%20Paper%202021.pdf

Robertson, K. (n.d.). Math instruction for English language learners. Colorín Colorado. Retrieved February 10, 2023, from https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/mathinstruction-english-language-learners

Rodríguez, L. A., Krause, G. H., & Adams-Corral, M. (2020). Flowing With the Translanguaging Corriente: Juntos Engaging With and Making Sense of Mathematics. Teaching for Excellence and Equity in Mathematics, 11(2), 17–24.

Zwiers, J., Dieckmann, J., Rutherford-Quach, S., Daro, V., Skarin, R., Weiss, S., & Malamut, J. (2017). Principles for the Design of Mathematics Curricula: Promoting Language and Content Development. Retrieved from Stanford University,
UL/SCALE website: http://ell.stanford.edu/content/ mathematics-resources-additional-resources

 

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Algebra Tiles Blue Icon

Algebra Tiles Session

  • Used throughout CPM middle and high school courses
  • Concrete, geometric representation of algebraic concepts.
  • Two-hour virtual session,
  •  Learn how students build their conceptual understanding of simplifying algebraic expressions
  • Solving equations using these tools.  
  • Determining perimeter,
  • Combining like terms,
  • Comparing expressions,
  • Solving equations
  • Use an area model to multiply polynomials,
  • Factor quadratics and other polynomials, and
  • Complete the square.
  • Support the transition from a concrete (manipulative) representation to an abstract model of mathematics..

Foundations for Implementation

This professional learning is designed for teachers as they begin their implementation of CPM. This series contains multiple components and is grounded in multiple active experiences delivered over the first year. This learning experience will encourage teachers to adjust their instructional practices, expand their content knowledge, and challenge their beliefs about teaching and learning. Teachers and leaders will gain first-hand experience with CPM with emphasis on what they will be teaching. Throughout this series educators will experience the mathematics, consider instructional practices, and learn about the classroom environment necessary for a successful implementation of CPM curriculum resources.

Page 2 of the Professional Learning Progression (PDF) describes all of the components of this learning event and the additional support available. Teachers new to a course, but have previously attended Foundations for Implementation, can choose to engage in the course Content Modules in the Professional Learning Portal rather than attending the entire series of learning events again.

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Building on Instructional Practice Series

The Building on Instructional Practice Series consists of three different events – Building on Discourse, Building on Assessment, Building on Equity – that are designed for teachers with a minimum of one year of experience teaching with CPM instructional materials and who have completed the Foundations for Implementation Series.

Building on Equity

In Building on Equity, participants will learn how to include equitable practices in their classroom and support traditionally underserved students in becoming leaders of their own learning. Essential questions include: How do I shift dependent learners into independent learners? How does my own math identity and cultural background impact my classroom? The focus of day one is equitable classroom culture. Participants will reflect on how their math identity and mindsets impact student learning. They will begin working on a plan for Chapter 1 that creates an equitable classroom culture. The focus of day two and three is implementing equitable tasks. Participants will develop their use of the 5 Practices for Orchestrating Meaningful Mathematical Discussions and curate strategies for supporting all students in becoming leaders of their own learning. Participants will use an equity lens to reflect on and revise their Chapter 1 lesson plans.

Building on Assessment

In Building on Assessment, participants will apply assessment research and develop methods to provide feedback to students and inform equitable assessment decisions. On day one, participants will align assessment practices with learning progressions and the principle of mastery over time as well as write assessment items. During day two, participants will develop rubrics, explore alternate types of assessment, and plan for implementation that supports student ownership. On the third day, participants will develop strategies to monitor progress and provide evidence of proficiency with identified mathematics content and practices. Participants will develop assessment action plans that will encourage continued collaboration within their learning community.

Building on Discourse

In Building on Discourse, participants will improve their ability to facilitate meaningful mathematical discourse. This learning experience will encourage participants to adjust their instructional practices in the areas of sharing math authority, developing independent learners, and the creation of equitable classroom environments. Participants will plan for student learning by using teaching practices such as posing purposeful questioning, supporting productive struggle, and facilitating meaningful mathematical discourse. In doing so, participants learn to support students collaboratively engaged with rich tasks with all elements of the Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices incorporated through intentional and reflective planning.