Preservice Teachers\u27 Strategies for Teaching Mathematics with English Learners

Although English learners (ELs) are one of the fastest growing groups of students in the United States, many teacher preparation programs have yet to require preservice teachers (PSTs) to receive training in effective practices for teaching ELs. We examined four elementary PSTs’ instructional practices when implementing cognitively demanding mathematics tasks with ELs during a 4-week field experience. Through interviews, observations, and written reflections, we found that the PSTs tried to support the ELs, with varying degrees of success, by allowing for multiple modes of communication, including visual supports, pressing for explanations, and checking for understanding. The PSTs’ use of these strategies during the field experience was largely in response to the ELs’ use of language rather than mathematics. Furthermore, although the PSTs’ attention to linguistic supports was well intentioned, it often resulted in the PSTs taking on much of the mathematical thinking or failing to consider different student mathematical conceptions. We conclude that explicit instruction in and reflection on effective instructional strategies with ELs, set in authentic experiences, could help PSTs to more effectively develop the knowledge and skills necessary to meet the needs of ELs in the mathematics classroom

Prospects and Challenges in Implementing a New Mathematics Curriculum in the Philippines

The Philippine Department of Education recently introduced a major revamp in the curriculum, providing for an additional two years in basic education. Three provisions of this new program directly relate to mathematics education. First was the shift of language of instruction in early primary education from English to the mother tongue. Second was the development of a new mathematics curriculum that places critical thinking and problem solving as the goal of mathematics education. Third was the extended opportunities for specialization in non-academic tracks. In this chapter, we draw upon studies in the Philippines to examine the issues and concerns that need to be addressed to derive the intended outcomes of the new curriculum. We first provide an overview of curricular changes in the Philippines. Next, we discuss the prospects and warrants of the curricular changes, given that the use of English to teach mathematics has been fraught with coping strategies, and that the relevance of school mathematics has repeatedly been questioned. Finally, we argue that achieving the intended goals is not simple, particularly in resource-poor classrooms where mathematical learning is often viewed as the ability to imitate procedures set forth by the teacher or text. In a developing country like the Philippines, there is a particular need to acknowledge the constraints within the working environment where reforms will take place. A curriculum that offers some prospects for improving mathematics education can only succeed if it follows through to the most crucial stage—that of providing sustained and practical guidance for supporting implementation and managing constraints