Moving From Knowing to Doing: Teachers Developing Mathematics Discourse Communities With Latinas/os

• In Event: Reexamining the Links Between Curriculum and Instruction for Latina/o Mathematics Learners

Abstract

Objectives: This paper depicts the journeys and struggles of two monolingual, non-Latina/o middle grades teachers as they navigate the complex reality of the mathematics teaching and learning process with linguistically diverse students. The concept of Mathematics Discourse Communities will be introduced and elaborated to highlight the critical role of language socialization and development in the mathematics classroom, particularly how it conveys particular beliefs, values, and meanings surrounding Latina/o students’ abilities to do and be successful with mathematics.

Perspective/Theoretical Framework: This study was approached and the data was analyzed through a sociocultural activity perspective of learning (Engestrom, 1999; Vygotsky, 1978). Observations were acutely focused on activity, interactional spaces, and mediation through multimodal semiotic tools, especially language. A major assumption of this perspective is that human development is fundamentally social in nature, rooted in concrete communicative activity or participation in local practices. Importantly, meaning resides in activity, its actions, and the language attached to them. Therefore, data analysis is focused squarely on what the teacher does to prepare and implement mathematical activity and facilitate mathematics discourse development.

Methodology, Data, and Analysis: Data was collected over the course of two school years in three primary stages: lesson planning, lesson enactment, and lesson debriefing. The researcher was a participant observer in four classes – two with each teacher. Special attention was paid to the classes where the lowest proficiency English learners were centralized. The data corpus includes videos of over 70 class periods with corresponding student work, over 30 collaborative planning and debriefing sessions, and interviews with students and teachers. Data was analyzed using video and discourse analysis.

Results and Conclusions: A primary finding revolves around how the teachers planned for students’ mathematical interactions. Interestingly, few considerations were made for the students’ unique strengths and needs. Other findings include how the teachers “buy in” to certain ideas like cooperative learning, providing opportunities for students to talk mathematically, and project-based learning that reflects students’ lived experiences; however, they lack the tools or “know-how” to facilitate these activities. One theme to be presented is how, despite the teacher’s desire to promote language-rich classrooms, they showed little knowledge of discourse development—or even what constitutes math talk —or how to engage emerging bilingual students.

Scientific or Scholarly Significance: In the U.S., more and more teachers have Latina/o learners in their classrooms. Yet, few are adequately prepared —both academically and socially — to address the unique strengths and needs of this growing population. The unpreparedness of mathematics teachers of Latinas/os is amplified by a cultural and linguistic mismatch; that is, 92.8% of teachers are non-Latina/o and roughly the same percentage are monolingual (NCES, 2008). Therefore, the vast majority of the teacher workforce lacks the experiential knowledge of learning a second language, let alone learning in a second language. Before teacher education programs can begin to comprehensively address preparing teachers better to serve this growing population of U.S. school children, we need to better understand the specific issues monolingual teachers face when creating effective learning environments for emerging bilingual students.

Author

• Craig J. Willey, Indiana University - Indianapolis