English mathematics instruction effectiveness for second grade ELL students

¶ … Mathematics Instruction in English on ELL Second Grade Students

J. Elizabeth Estevez

Educ2205I-Content Research Seminar

Mathematics is a powerful tool for interpreting the world. Research has shown that for children to learn how to use mathematics to organize, understand, compare, and interpret their experiences, mathematics must be connected to their lives. Such connections help students to make sense of mathematics and view it as relevant. There has, however, been controversy with regard to children from non-English backgrounds and the best ways to get them to make those connections. Questions are raised regarding how to instruct these children who are referred to as English language learners (ELL's). Should they initially be taught in their native language with gradual exposure to English in language classes, or should they be immersed in English as early as possible. Based upon ideas presented in research studies and my own ideas as a former bilingual teacher, I decided it important enough to investigate whether mathematics instruction in English is truly effective in the second grade bilingual classroom, and if so, to what extent. Although no single piece of research validates the claim of any "best way" to teach mathematics to ELL students, collectively it can be determined instruction in English during the early stages of language development may be beneficial.

The purpose of the research study will be to examine the effectiveness of English instruction of mathematics on second grade ELL students as compared to the effectiveness of instruction in their native language. The results of the study should help educators and administrators make an informed decision as to which approach is most effective and appropriate for these students at their current levels.

SETTING

P.S. 189 is located at 2580 Amsterdam Avenue, at 189th street. The school forms part of Community Board District 6, located in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, and it provides services for neighborhood children from grade levels Pre-K through Five. The neighborhood surrounding the school is a very peaceful one. There are very few disruptions during school hours that are from 8:20a.m. To 2:45p.m. PS 189 has a student population of 1,480 and ninety seven percent of this population is made of Hispanic children of which 38.5% are English Language Learners. The remaining three percent is made up of different nationalities that include African-Americans, and other racial and ethnic backgrounds. The school reflects a high concentration of poverty, educational need, and overcrowded conditions. The school has a staff of 94 teachers, 27 paraprofessionals, 3 family workers, 23 school aides, and another 8 professionals that include administrators. The teachers responsible for the children's learning have different backgrounds the majority of which are Hispanic. Other backgrounds include White Americans, African-Americans, and Asians.

The school built a new annex, to expand the old building. This was necessary in order to accommodate the overcrowded conditions due to the large number of students in the community. It was opened in 1999 for kindergarten and first graders. The annex walls are painted in bright colors. The hallways are decorated with students work, and one can get a sense of the good working environment that exists there. The kindergarten classrooms all have lavatories for the children's convenience. The annex is definitely designed with the students' specific needs in mind.

PS 189 tries to keep all the classes in the same floor as their grade level. All of the second graders are on the second floor, the third graders in the third floor, and so forth. This to me seems like a pretty good idea because each grade level has its own curriculum to follow. It's easier for teachers to help each other and share their ideas when they are within reach. It's also a good idea because in the lower grades there is a lot more of activity and noise than in the upper grades. By keeping the younger kids on their own floors there will be fewer distractions.

At PS 189, parent involvement is encouraged and the home/school partnership is strong. Parents are appropriately informed, in their respective native languages of school issues and upcoming events. The school offers weekly workshops on parenting and curriculum topics and a family literacy program is offered weekly after school. The school has an active and supportive PTA. They also have a Parent Room with a Parent Library. Parent involvement includes participation on school committees, as trained volunteers and assistance with fund raising and field trips.

The Arts play an integral part in the development and enrichment of the school's academic program. The school stresses Arts Education through visual arts, an orchestra, a junior and senior choir, and participation in the National Dance Institute. Through these programs, the students are given the opportunity to participate and celebrate their cultural backgrounds.

Directly across the street from the school is a newly renovated park named Rouhl Walbourg. This park is accessible for the teachers at PS 189. Teachers can take their class to this park so that they can investigate nature or to find natural resources they can take back to the classroom. Many teachers use this park for their lessons about the community's history.

There are 11 second grade classrooms at PS189 of which one is "bilingual" meaning all areas are taught in the student's native language and English is instructed through ESL, another "transitional" where all content areas are taught in English and one period of language arts is to be taught in Spanish, the remaining 8 classes are mainstream. This is exactly the same for all the other grades in the school. There is one bilingual and one transitional class in each level.

This year I am teaching in a "mainstream" class, where all of my instruction is done in English. There are 27 students in my class and all are of Latino descent. Within this group I have 8 students who are pulled out to receive ESL. These students were either opted out by their parents or misplaced by the administration, and haven't passed the Language Assessment Battery (LAB). Then I have another 3 students who do not receive ESL services because they passed the LAB, but who cannot function in the classroom due to their strong limitations with the academic use of the English language. Out of the 27 students in my classroom there are only 16 students who actually belong in a mainstream environment. These students are basically the only ones who have a decent and fair shot at being successful and reaching the mandated standards. The others are constantly struggling and falling behind. Being a facilitator in this type of environment where there are so many different cognitive and proficiency levels within a group is extremely difficult and challenging.

My class shares the floor with the second graders. On this floor each classroom has a bulletin board outside of the room. Just by looking at these bulletin boards anyone will be able to tell what the students are learning and the theme being covered. All of the second grade teachers cooperate to keep the floor looking great. We collaborate on culminating activities and share our ideas. Teachers within the same grade levels meet during their preparatory period at least once every two weeks to discuss their joys as well as difficulties in the classroom. I think this is great because all of students get to have the same opportunities provided to them, and they can share their experiences with each other. Each teacher adds her personal twist in her activities and the final products reflect this. Even though the activities are the same, the results are different for every class. The wonderful thing about this learning community is that the students walk away with the same content knowledge, but apply that knowledge in their individual ways.

RESEARCH QUESTION

When math is taught in English to ELL second graders, will math scores increase more or less than when ELL second graders are taught math in Spanish?

HYPOTHESIS

Scores will decrease or increase less due to the lack of support in the students' native language.

METHODOLOGY

Design and procedure

The study will examine the effectiveness of English instruction during math in a second grade bilingual program. The design of the study will consist of a pretest / post-test design.

The pretest which is administered in Spanish will be used as baseline data, and the post-test will be administered in order to determine if instruction in English will produce an increase in student test scores. The English instruction of mathematics will be implemented in the month of January.

Subjects

The subjects of this study will consist of 28 second grade students at Elementary Public School 189. The subjects range in age from eight to nine years. All of the subjects are Spanish dominant and have never received mathematics instruction in English before. The students' comprehension and discourse in the English language are at a beginner level.

Instrumentation

The McGraw-Hill Mathematics Chapter Tests and Cumulative Tests will be used in this study. These are 25 item tests that are used to measure student learning and retention of the mathematical concepts. They also provide summative data and point to point progress information. Interviews and observation checklists will also be used in the study. The interviews will provide qualitative data on student attitudes and perceptions and will be a powerful tool to measure the hypothesis. By interviewing and observing student interactions I will be able to reinforce if the lack of support in their native language is affecting their academic achievement or not.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

In conclusion, the purpose of this study will be to examine the effectiveness of English instruction of mathematics on second grade English Language Learners. If the study reveals a practically significant increase in test scores, than English instruction at this level may be advantageous in the learning and maintaining of mathematical concepts and second language learning. If this study shows that instruction in English has no effect or has a negative effect on mathematics instruction, then additional studies should be conducted to explore a more effective approach. The goal of this study is to gather and report relevant achievement information that can be used to improve instruction and programs offered to ELL students.

Should be in APA format/without annotations

Most can be found in ERIC database)

SELECTED REFERENCES

Buchanan, Keith; Helman, Mary (1997). Reforming Mathematics Instruction for ESL Literacy Students. ERIC Digest.

This digest focuses on the reforming mathematics instruction for ESL students who have had limited or interrupted schooling in their first language. It discusses correlating mathematics instruction with language skills building and effective instructional strategies for literacy students.

Chamot, A.U. (1992). Learning Problem Solving Strategies of ESL Students.

Bilingual Research Journal, 16 (3), 1-34.

Among 32 ESL students who received training in metacognitive strategies for mathematics problem solving, those students who were the highest achievers in mathematics and whose teachers were involved in extensive project activities were the better problem solvers than less able math students or students in low implementation classrooms.

Ciancone, Tom (1990). Count Me In! Integrating Numeracy into the ESL Literacy Curriculum. TESL Talk, 20 (1), 251-260.

Offers suggestions for teachers to integrate the functional uses of numbers and mathematics into the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom curriculum, as well as several sources of information for additional exercises and ideas for activities.

Fulton-Scott, Merle J.; Calvin, Allen D. (1983). Bilingual Multicultural Education vs. Integrated and Non-Integrated ESL Instruction. NABE: The Journal for the National Association for Bilingual Education, 7 (3), 1-12.

A study of three elementary school programs for non-English-proficient Hispanic children compared grade point averages in math, reading, and language achievement test scores of first and sixth graders.

Kimball, Mary Holt (1990). Soundoff. How Can We Best Help ESL Students? Mathematics Teacher, 83 (8), 604-605.

Discussed are the problems faced by mathematics students who have limited English proficiency. Suggestions for teaching these students in the context of mathematics are provided.

Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and Practice in Second language Acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon Press.

This book outlines Second Language Acquisition, the study of the way in which people learn a language other than their mother tongue.

Lara Alecio, Rafael; Parker, Richard; Aviles, Claudia; Mason, Samantha; Irby, Beverly J. (1998). A Study of the Use of Manipulatives in the Assessment of Mathematics Instruction with ESL Hispanic Students. Bilingual Research Journal, 22 (2), 215-235.

As an alternative form of mathematics assessment for use with limited-English-proficient students, 14 mathematics tasks using manipulatives were administered to 45 Hispanic students in grades 1-3 and re-administered 2-3 weeks later.

Leach, Sue; Bowling, Jenny (2000). A Classroom Research Project: ESL Students and Language of Mathematics. Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom, 5 (1), 24-27.

Describes a project that addressed how teachers can help second language learners with difficulties of written mathematical situations. Concludes that retrieving and transforming what students know about mathematics into their own words is a crucial part of mathematics learning.

Lee, Fong Yun; Silverman, Frederick L.; Montoya, Patricia (2002). Assessing he Math Performance of Young ESL Students. Principal, 81 (3), 29-31.

Describes proven assessment strategies, which, used separately or in combination, can help young ESL students express their understanding of math concepts while building their English-language skills.

Marr, Beth (2000). Talking Volumes: Enhancing Talk, Language and Conceptual Development in Adult Mathematics and Numeracy Classes. Literacy and Numeracy Studies, 10 (1), 55-69.

Focuses on the acquisition of mathematical language. Through asking how one can reflect on things one cannot name, examines students' opportunities to practice mathematical language in two classrooms.

Mendez, Gloria I. (1982). Bilingual Children's Adaptation after a Transitional Bilingual Education. Metas, 3 (1), 1-112.

Describes research among Hispanic and White fourth graders in regular bilingual, or ESL classes, on relationships between academic achievement and types of instructional programs. Discusses implications of findings for designing programs for Hispanics.

Mujica, Barbara (1995). Findings of The New York City Longitudinal Study: Hard Evidence on Bilingual and ESL Programs. READ Perspectives, 2 (2), 7- 35.

Reports on a study that evaluated the progress of limited-English-proficient students, focusing on the time required to exit LEP programs and on the reading and mathematics achievement of students who move on to monolingual English classes.

Reilly, Tarey (1988). ESL through Content Area Instruction. ERIC Digests.

Content-based ESL programs have been developed to provide students with an opportunity to develop their cognitive academic language proficiency, as well as provide a less abrupt transition form the ESL classroom to an all-English-medium academic program.

Tevebaugh, Tara N. (1998). Mathematics Is Not a Universal Language. Teaching Children Mathematics, 5 (4), 214-216.

Discusses the misconception that ESL students do not need special language instruction to learn mathematics. Suggests that teachers create a supportive and trusting environment in which students are not afraid of speaking out or risking failure.

P.S. 189 Manhattan

2580 Amsterdam Avenue

New York, New York 10040

Observation Checklist

Mrs. J. Ramirez

Class: 2-203

Curriculum Area: Mathematics

Lesson Title: What is a shape?

In the lesson observed, please note below the areas evaluated.

ASPECT OF LESSON

In evidence

Not in evidence

COMMENTS

Aim

Motivation

Very good -- the lesson was introduced through the use of literature.

Use of manipulative materials

Excellent- the students used pattern blocks to determine the properties of the shapes

Developmental procedure

Questioning

Differentiated instruction

Cooperative groups

Good - the students worked in pairs

Drill and practice

Engages students

Real- world application

Assessment / Evaluation

Summary (Medial & Final)

Variety of Instructional Approaches

Control of pupils

Class Routines

P.S. 189 Manhattan

2580 Amsterdam Avenue

New York, New York 10040

Observation Checklist

Mrs. J. Ramirez

Class: 2-203

Curriculum Area: Mathematics

Lesson Title: What are 3 Dimensional shapes?

In the lesson observed, please note below the areas evaluated.

ASPECT OF LESSON

In evidence

Not in evidence

COMMENTS

Aim

Motivation

Use of manipulative materials

Excellent- the students used 3 dimensional wooden shapes to determine the characteristics of the shapes

Developmental procedure

Questioning

Differentiated instruction

Cooperative groups

Good - the students worked in groups of four.

Drill and practice

Engages students

Real- world application

Excellent- the students were asked to think about real things that have the same shape.

Assessment / Evaluation

Summary (Medial & Final)

Variety of Instructional Approaches

Control of pupils

Class Routines