Learning Goals: What's Language Got to Do with It?

Learning Goals: What’s Language Got to Do with It?

• Describe how language and math are interdependent

• Examine examples of math language goals

• Explain why language goals are critical in creating instruction that supports student understanding of mathematics

Schedule:

5 minutes –     Settle in, take attendance, Intro question: What math terms or phrases have confused you in the past?  How did you deal with that confusion?

10-15 minutes –     Participants’ implementation share-out

3-5 minutes –     Transition into current module, connection between concepts: What math terms or phrases have students in your class been confused about or misunderstood recently?

10-20 minutes –     Workbook reflection: 

1. In what ways do you provide all students opportunities to use receptive and productive language skills to engage in mathematics? 

2. Pre-teaching vocabulary is a recommended practice in English language arts but is considered an unproductive practice in mathematics. Why might teaching vocabulary in context be more effective in a mathematics classroom?

3. Which of the three key strategies to support students’ language development do you feel the most comfortable with? Which one do you think offers the most room for growth?

4. Were there any prompts in this section of the workbook that you wanted to discuss with the rest of the group? What about them were you looking to explore further?

20-30 minutes –     Application discussion prompts: 

1. What barriers might prevent a student from engaging in classroom discussion? What might be some strategies to eliminate those barriers?

2. What can you do in the moment if you use imprecise mathematical language (such as “reduce” or “plug in”) out of habit? How might you model draft thinking and/or productive struggle in the moment?

3. Which of the four Committing to Action suggestions would you be interested in trying first? What might be some challenges? What are your best hopes?

5-10 minutes -     Wrap up: Each individual brainstorms "What can you do between now and our next meeting to incorporate or emphasize this topic more in your classroom?" and a few participants volunteer for the next session’s implementation share-out