The Learning of Mathematics for Limited English Proficient Learners: Preparation of Doctoral Level Candidates

Abstract Across the United States, there is a growing number of students for whom English is not their first language. These students experience many challenges adjusting to new educational environments. These students are often denied access to the full curriculum in mathematics (Reyes & Fletcher, 2003) and the resulting opportunities for higher level educational experiences in mathematics and the resulting higher economic employment options. Educators need support in understanding and responding to the linguistic and cultural challenges that these students face in learning mathematics. A course entitled Language, Culture, Mathematics and the LEP Learner is part of the doctoral courses available to Curriculum and Instruction students at UNC Charlotte. The course focuses on theoretical and applied models of teaching and learning mathematics for English as Second Language Learners. Research and current practice are reviewed with an emphasis on the design, implementation, and assessment of instruction for this population of learners. A qualitative analysis of students' final research projects using narrative analysis methodologies showed that students (1) position issues within a larger sociocultural framework (2) advocate for the negotiation of pedagogical principles that blend language learning strategies with effective mathematics pedagogy and (3) identify assessment policies and processes that are supportive and limiting for these learners

Plenary Address: Language and Mathematics, A Model for Mathematics in the 21 st Century

"Human language and thought are crucially shaped by the properties of our bodies and the structure of our physical and social environment. Language and thought are not best studied as formal mathematics and logic, but as adaptations that enable creatures like us to thrive in a wide range of situations" (Feldman, 2006, p. 7). Language and Mathematics: A Complex Symbiotic for Learning In order to know how to use this language correctly requires an integrated knowledge of multiple facets of communicative competence and mathematical knowledge. Walshaw and Anthony Explicating a Model Language and competence in mathematics are not separable. The model that is presented in this paper [See (2) Heuristic methods, i.e., search strategies for problem analysis and transformation (e.g., decomposing a problem into subgoals, making a graphic representation of a problem) which do not guarantee, but significantly increase the probability of finding the correct solution. (3) Meta-knowledge, which involves knowledge about one's cognitive functioning (metacognitive knowledge; e.g., knowing that one's cognitive potential can be developed through learning and effort), on the one hand, and knowledge about one's motivation and emotions (metavolitional knowledge; e.g., becoming aware of one's fear of failure when confronted with a complex mathematical task or problem), on the other hand. (4) Positive mathematics-related beliefs, which include the implicitly and explicitly held subjective conceptions about mathematics education, about the self as a learner of mathematics, and about the social context of the mathematics classroom. (5) Self-regulatory skills, which embrace skills relating to the self-regulation of one's cognitive processes (metacognitive skills or cognitive self-regulation; e.g., planning and monitoring one's problem-solving processes), on the one hand, and skills for regulating one's volitional processes/activities (metavolitional skills or volitional self-regulation; e.g., keeping up one's attention and motivation to solve a given problem), on the other hand. (p. 20-21)