Storytelling in Elementary Mathematics: Building on Students' Cultural and Linguistic Identities

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Studies of Elementary Mathematics Instructional Practices (Table 5)

Abstract

This study focuses on how an elementary teacher builds on her multilingual students’ cultural and linguistic resources in mathematics and explores four focal students’ perceptions of being in this classroom. I use Yosso’s (2005) concept of Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) to define cultural and linguistic resources and contribute to research on asset-based pedagogies to understand how the teacher supports the use of these resources. Data included semi-structured interviews with teachers and focal students, observations and reflections on six lessons. Findings suggest that teachers can build on multilingual students’ cultural and linguistic resources through the teacher practice of storytelling to make connections and learn more about students in the process. Students shared mostly positive emotions, with one conflicting feeling.

Author

• Puja Patel, University of Washington