Equity for English Language Learners in the Mathematics Classroom
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Although English Language Learners (ELLs) quickly acquire basic interpersonal communication skills, most struggle for several years with reading and writing academic content in English (Cummins 1981). In particular, in English-only mathematics classes, children are likely to have difficulty reading and comprehending text, reading word problems, and giving written or oral justifications of their problem-solving strategies in English (Clarkson and Galbrath 1992; Cuevas 1984; Cummins 1984; Moschkovich 2000; Ron 1999). A language barrier should not be mistaken for a learning problem or a deficit. English-speaking peers of ELLs should also avoid assigning them lower social and academic status because of nonnative language skills and perceived inability to perform well on social and academic tasks (Cohen et al. 2004).
Footnotes
Gina M. Borgioli is interested in educational equity issues and enjoys working with both pre- and in-service mathematics teachers.
