Gauging and Fostering Language and Literacy Development for Middle School English Learners in Math Classrooms

• In Event: 65.052 - Social Justice for Learning: English Language Learners and Bilingual Students

Abstract

This study provides an analysis of Latino EL responses to open-ended mathematics writing prompts. We analyze the relationship among mathematical understanding, academic language and literacy of Latina/o middle school students. The data are drawn from the Adolescent Literacy Assessment System (ALAS). The study included 125 middle school students from a predominantly low-income community in Northern California. Our study highlights the ways in which mathematical understanding and language development can be fostered for Latino ELs in math classrooms where such skills are explicitly taught in an integrated manner. Our research shows that teachers can facilitate opportunities for ELs to learn rigorous mathematics content so long as teachers are able to integrate explicit scaffolding of the academic and mathematical discourse.

Authors

• Eduardo Mosqueda, University of California - Santa Cruz

• Marco A. Bravo, Santa Clara University

• Jorge L. Solis, The University of Texas - San Antonio