Math education for linguistic and cultural minorities

• In Event: Global Mathematics Education SIG Highlighted Session: Math education for linguistic and cultural minorities

Abstract

Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, the renowned U.S.-based television show, as well as over 30 international variations of Sesame Street. The Workshop’s mission is to use the educational power of media to help children everywhere reach their highest potential. Delivered through a variety of media platforms, Sesame Workshop develops research-based content – including television and radio programs, books, games, mobile apps, and community engagement initiatives – that supports early childhood learning, helps prepare children for school, and addresses developmental needs. The Workshop’s programs are tailored to the needs of specific regions and focus on topics that help young children and families develop critical skills for lifelong learning.

The Workshop has collaborated with in-country teams around the globe to develop engaging math content for young children, generally ages 3-7 years, and their parents and teachers. Recognizing the need for math learning to occur in culturally appropriate and contextually familiar ways, the Workshop proposes a presentation addressing the following points:

1) The language of math, delivered by Muppets – how developmentally appropriate math vocabulary is selected and utilized in diverse settings
2) Encouraging adult-child math talk – how complementary, adult-facing content encourages caregivers to supporting children’s learning by leveraging the math moments in everyday life
3) The delivery of math content to hard-to-reach and disadvantaged populations in the US and abroad – a focus on Sesame’s math-focused community engagement programming that has targeted Spanish-speaking families in the US as well as marginalized communities in northern Nigeria, the Eastern Cape of South Africa, and Afghanistan.

Author

• Abby Bucuvalas, Sesame Workshop