Engaging Diverse Learners in the Mathematics Classroom: A Functional Language Awareness Approach for Middle and High School Educators

Language is a vital tool for teaching math—it’s present in word problems, textbooks, teacher talk, and more. With this game-changing guidebook, middle and high school teachers will harness the power of language to ensure math success for all students, including multilingual and other diverse learners who may need support to access academic language.

Introducing a unique functional language awareness approach developed through decades of research and field work, this book helps teachers examine how they use language in the math classroom and make small changes to their words and practices to support student learning. Math teachers will see the functional language awareness approach in action across different classroom contexts, and they’ll get a practical collection of ideas, activities, and tools for making the most of language in the math classroom. An innovative approach that complements popular math models used with English learners, this guidebook will help educators use language consistently and effectively to meet the learning needs of all

MATH TEACHERS WILL:

• record, analyze, and reflect on their own use of language in the classroom
• increase understanding of student strengths and needs by developing learner profiles
• establish language-rich interactive routines that engage all learners
• plan powerful math lessons with an explicit focus on how language can support learning
• build student competence in key skills related to math, including explaining, reasoning, and problem-solving
• teach students precise language for communicating their math knowledge
• use a think-aloud technique to reflect on and improve elements of their planning and teaching

SPECIAL FEATURES: Leverage language effectively in the math classroom through sample transcripts of teacher-student discourse, Try It Yourself boxes, On Your Own activities, and reflective practice. Online materials include a lesson plan template, sample lesson plan, transcription guide, and other forms to support effective teaching.

Wayne E. Wright is the Associate Dean for Research, Graduate Programs, and Faculty Development and the Barbara I. Cook Chair of Literacy and Language in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction in the College of Education at Purdue University. He provides training for future and current educators in the areas of ESL teaching methods, literacy, assessment, technology and research. Wright has extensive experience as a researcher and practitioner in schools in the United States and internationally.

Wright is the author of numerous research articles related to language minority education, and serves as the founding editor of the Journal of Southeast Asian American Education and Advancement. He has presented his research and provided training for language teachers throughout the world. In 2009 Wright was a Fulbright scholar and visiting lecturer at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where he provided training and assistance to the university and students in the M.Ed. program.

He and his wife Phal are the parents of three amazing children.