Anhalt, C., Farias, L., Farias, S., Olivas, J., Ulliman, M. (2009). Teaching Math to ELL students. Leadership, 38, 34-36.

This article talks about a study that was conducted by the Center for Mathematics Education of Latinos/as in which the lesson of adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators was taught to ELL learners. Taking into account the limited proficiency of these students with the English language, the lesson was designed in such a way so that it was more self-discovered based and hands-on for the students. Accordingly, the lesson proved successful because it was able to surmount the language barrier by showing the kids how to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators without necessarily telling them how to do it forthright.

I honestly thought this article was pretty neat. It represented a constructive, creative, and thoughtful approach to teaching mathematics to ELL students. More than that, it was able at the end of the day to get them to engage in a lively academic discourse about adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. I also like the fact that this study was not all entirely new. Many of the techniques and strategies it used were inspired by studies conducted in Japan. This reminds me of the old adage, “the best teachers beg, borrow, and steal”. By using non-verbal teaching cues, strategies, and techniques (such as manipulatives!), this study shows that accommodating to and teaching ELL students was not all that difficult. It just requires a bit of creative thinking instead!