Teaching English Language Learners in the Content AreasMathematics - Essay Example

Teaching English Language Learners in the Content Areas-Mathematics Teaching English Language Learners in the Content Areas-MathematicsChallengesEnglish language learners struggle when to establish meaningful connections in the mathematics context. These struggles result from the fact that problem solving in mathematics is not just language but also a thought process. One of the challenges faced by ELLs when learning mathematics is lack of experience with the English measuring system; a factor that results from cultural differences.

ELLs who are not conversant with the English measuring system find it hard to solve problems involving measurements. The fact that mathematics is not spirally taught in most cultures means that most ELLs know little about subjects such as geometry. To address these challenges, there is need for teachers to employ specific strategies that can improve students learning experience and further improve performance among them (Egbert & Ernst-Slavit, 2010). StrategyTo ensure that students engage meaningfully and that they benefit from each other when learning mathematics, I suggest collaborative learning to be applied in class.

Under this strategy, the teacher forms groups of four or five students, with each group containing an English native speaker. It is also ensured that students work with diverse student backgrounds; a factor that allows each student to get exposed to different cultures. This strategy relies on the finding that collaborative learning among students can help break language barriers better compared to direct teacher-student interaction (Anahalt, Farias & Farias, 2009). BenefitsOne of the main benefits of collaborative learning is that it fosters friendship among students from diverse backgrounds.

Students, therefore, learn to rely on each other in a positive way when solving mathematics problems. Collaborative learning, in this case, uses diversity as a tool for learning rather than a challenge for English language learners. Additionally, this strategy promotes socially constructed learning, where the teacher acts as a mediator. The teacher uses language to monitor interactions within social relationships that in this case are groups of students. This benefit relies on the proposition that what individuals are made up of and how they think are functions of their social relationships.

This strategy equally provides a rich language, encourages thinking, and consequently yields high-level academic performance among ELLs (Anahalt, Farias & Farias, 2009). ResourcesOne of the technologies presented by Grandgenett, Harris and Hofer (2009), is the virtual manipulative that allows teachers and students to concretely represent abstract mathematics concept. This technology can be used with the collaborative learning strategy to help ELLs especially in areas that require making sense of problems and abstract reasoning.

Virtual manipulative can be used by groups of students to help in their understanding of abstract mathematics concepts. Once students have understood these concepts, this technology further provides a complex understanding of the learn concepts by allowing students to clarify misconceptions and establish meaningful relationships between concepts and representation. When using this technology, however, teachers should be keen to ensure that manipulative used are directly linked to specific mathematics content.

This technology should not be used as a separate activity; otherwise, it will impair the ability of students to benefit from it. ReferencesAnahalt, C., Farias, L. & Farias, S. (2009). Teaching math to ELL students. Leadership, 38(5), 34-36. Egbert, J. & Ernst-Slavit. G. (2010). Access to academics: Planning instruction for K-12 classrooms with ELLs. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Grandgenett, N., Harris, J. & Hofer, M. (2009). Grounded tech integration: Math. Learning and Leading With Technology, 37(3), 24-26.