Strengthening the Links Between Curriculum and Instruction for Latina/o Mathematics Learners

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

Abstract

Although research would suggest that current U.S. mathematics reform curricula support most students in improving achievement, there is evidence that Latino/a students have not benefited equally from these curricula (Sconiers, Isaacs, Higgins, McBride, & Kelso, 2003). Given this reality and the increasing representation of Latinas/os (and other English language learners) in U.S. K-12 schools, there is a need to better understand how to support teachers in their mathematics instruction of Latinos/as in a way that bridges recognized, positive factors in effective instruction of language minority students with existing curricula.

The objective of this study was to synthesize analyses of the design of Finding Out/ Descubrimiento (FO/D) – elementary-level mathematics/science materials from the 1980’s that proved successful for Latina/o ELLs – and theories about improving instruction for bilingual learners, with the goal of outlining recommendations for redesigning existing curricula (Cohen et al., 1997; Cohen, Lotan, & Leechor, 1989). This project incorporated sociocultural views of learning in and through interactions, as well as the perspective that student learning is visible as meaningful participation in a classroom community.

We began with a list of design principles generated during a previous analysis of FO/D and refined these to better reflect current research on bilingual learners. We then selected a U.S. reform elementary school curriculum structured to encourage and support significant student interactions and group work. We identified design principles from the list that were relevant to features of the lessons in the reform curriculum—design principles that might provide a foundation for making recommendations. Next, we selected lessons in the reform curriculum that specified both group work and partner work since these contexts provide opportunities for student interaction and exploration. We randomly chose one lesson to use as a model for generating recommendations based on the design principles. We engaged in a cycle of 1) redesigning sections of the lesson according to the design principles; 2) evaluating the changes to the lesson according to how they would engage students in opportunities to learn and in what ways the redesigned lesson might support student engagement; and 3) developing and refining general recommendations for how to redesign lessons. At the conclusion, we had a specific and concise list of recommendations tied to research on instruction for Latina/o ELLs.

In this paper, we will briefly describe the critical first steps of this unique study, present and contrast the original lesson with the revised lesson, and share the recommendations that we developed. We will also discuss how, during the course of this project, we developed a way to move theory into practice via curriculum modification. We believe this work can serve as a foundation for building a bridge between research and practice. The recommendations for revising elementary school mathematics curriculum to better support Latina/o ELLs goes beyond questions of “just good teaching” to explicitly outline critical and crucial pedagogy for bilingual learners.

Authors

• Kathleen Pitvorec, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Lena Licon Khisty, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Craig J. Willey, Indiana University - Indianapolis